


Creepypasta Revival (CP story)

by Gamergeek2000



Category: Creepypasta - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Confirmed relationship later on, Connects to Holiday specials, Connects to Pirate's Opal and Borderline of Stability, Criminal Investigation, Fanfic, Gen, Horror, Humor, Implied Romance, Lots of Creepypasta's!, Mara is my made up oc, OCs - Freeform, Paranoia, Psychological Drama, Psychological Trauma, Suspense, scares, this is going to be loooong
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-22
Updated: 2019-12-04
Packaged: 2020-07-11 09:55:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 29
Words: 124,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19926175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gamergeek2000/pseuds/Gamergeek2000
Summary: Mara was one of the few people that have lived after seeing a creepypasta, but why can't she remember that? what are her parents hiding? and why would the Creepypasta's want her help?(Warning! This story will have emotional and mental triggers for those with anxiety, paranoia, and have undergone assaults.)





	1. Press Play To Start

(I will offer this warning now, but because it is creepypasta keep in mind that it is going to be slightly violent and could have triggers for people that have undergone assaults or paranoia. and as usual, language can be strong, but I hope you all enjoy!)

Creepypasta Revival Chapter 1- Press Start to Play

There was a moment, where we never lived. The only destruction to humans were themselves. But a thought, no, a dream was made. From those that have died with no justice to them they grew, they thrived, they killed. A higher life began to grow and take control of what they lost. At the time, no one could prove anything. No bodies, no killers, no tracks. Until an unlikely thing happened, a young man was pulled from his home to be a legend, but not by choice. By the greed and lies of others he was called a killer and forced out, even though he was protecting someone. A little girl. That night ended his mortality, and consumed him to be a new man.

They took him in, they taught him their ways, and as more joined a new civilization began. Two leaders and a council, working together to save the lost and unjust people. Or at least, that’s how it was supposed to go. Day began to fall to night, the mist rising in the forests as the legend himself stalked the woods. The more souls he could gain, the more strength he would have. However the other leader collected and stole rare artifacts from the humans, believed to have special powers and meanings to the human’s history. The two leaders never really saw eye to eye, and the soul stealer had a thought.

‘Why should I be resurrected but not others? Perhaps I'm not the only one who has gained a second life.’

With the permission and help from the council, a mansion was built with a way to hide in the forest that this monster protected. With his home, he would create a new life for those that had lived unjust as he did. Over the years he collected them, killers, monsters, and all he saw as his family. The human’s knowledge and activity grew overtime for them, attempting to find these legends or hunt them, but whenever they got close only insanity or death would greet them. Slender became a leader and protector to what the humans started calling Creepypasta’s, and Zalgo became a well known demon Creepypasta and collector of relics. 

The Creepypastas lived their lives that they couldn’t live as normal people, but as time passed their existence was being forgotten. Some saw this as a blessing, others saw this as ignorance, and without much of a choice the CP’s started to hide and follow along the humans in the shadows of day and night. One CP had met a human that was unafraid of their life, knowing life was not fair and scars do not define the place you belong. She met several of them one by one, and each time showed the same courage towards each of them. Jeff had told his story to the CPs about how he met her, but hasn’t seen her in years since the last encounter. 

Slender saw an opportunity, if this child was still alive then perhaps she could renew their legends, make humans more aware of their lives. However, Ben said that when he tried to find her at the house he last saw her she was not there and only an older man and woman lived there. Slender started to send out searches to find the girl and asked Ben to try and hack into computers to locate where she might be living now. Although, they only learned her name being Mara, and with no last name or idea how old she was it was going to be a challenge. 

~time to start the story~

Mara groaned as her alarm clock went off, her arm lazily reaching out to hit it, and popping her head from the covers she read ‘10:00 June 10th Sunday.’. She stretched out, arching her back like a cat and then sighed before she hopped out of bed. Mara loved to stay up at night, hence working at a nightclub as a bartender. However, during the day she took her online classes to be a psychologist and therapist for criminals, and to her classes were almost too easy. Her parents always said she’d be better off taking over the company or to go into her mothers jewelry business, but there was something about criminals she wanted to know more about.

Mara’s fascination with criminal minds would shock many people, even the professors, but she wanted to know more than their trial, she wanted their origin. She wanted the story from the start, even before that to their parents. Mara would watch trials, horror movies, and criminal TV shows in her spare time to learn more of criminal habits and figure out things that for some reason humans can’t figure out anymore. The answer to that was simple, humans don’t care, they want to be paid and they want to put someone into prison or let them go based on their personal feelings of the case rather than the facts presented.

This notion always made Mara sick. She never really knew where her passion came from though, as a child she was not allowed to watch TV and she never got a laptop until she was 18 and heading off on her own. Whenever she tried to think of her past her head would start to hurt, and her past always seemed like a puzzle. Mara quickly took her shower and got ready for the day, despite only doing her homework online after this. She looked at the mirror and began to dry her hair out, and look over her features, thankful that the bruise on her cheek from last week was gone.

Many times she’s had to kick people out of the nightclub and has gotten many injuries from such actions. Being a bartender wasn’t easy, nor was it the best way to make money, but she had plenty of tips and she also worked as a janitor there so she made enough to survive. Plus with all the money she stored as a teen she already had about $8,000 in her checkings and $3,000 in savings. Most of her money came from doing chores or doing small jobs like mowing lawns, watching houses, and pet sitting. She never had to worry about paying rent or buying anything when she lived with her parents because they were always eager to please her, but that life was too easy. 

She only lived in an apartment with one bedroom, bathroom, and her living room and kitchen were practically one room. Mara didn’t try to spend money on a lot of food, mainly paying for her home and laptop, and she never bothered to get a car. Exercise and her habit of not eating much allowed her body to remain slim but with curves in the right places. It was a pain at times to live like this, but it was better than mooching off her parents' money. She finished up drying her hair and started to comb it down. 

Her raven colored locks have shaded a little darker as she grew older, her hair now touching her shoulders in a feathery mid-length style and bangs crossing over her left eye by a couple inches. Mara’s eyes have also gone from their lilac coloring to a violet, which complimented her cool faired skin tone. She never bothered wearing makeup, only adding some lipgloss to make her peach lips show up more.

She let out a yawn and got dressed into black stockings with small tears in them, and dark blue jean shorts, and slipped on a black tank top with the words “I’d stop eating Pizza, but i’m not a quitter”.

“Alright life, whatcha got for me today?” Mara muttered to herself, opening her laptop.

It was her last day of online classes and then she could work all summer for her money, considering she only had one more year to go to become a psychologist. She deserved a break. Since she turned 17 she was ahead in all her highschool classes and managed to get a year head start in college, so she was flying by her schooling and she was only 21 now. Her fingers sped up as she was finishing her last report that was due at 3 today, but considering it was only 10:56 now she thought she might as well finish before eating.

“And bing, bang, boom we’re done.” Mara smirked, sending the final to her teacher before speeding downstairs to eat.

She felt weight lift off her shoulders at the thought of this summer, only working five nights a week she’d had two days every week to herself, plus the mornings everyday. Mara started up her spotify and hummed to “Victorious” as it played and she started cooking her breakfast. She heard her phone buzz in her pocket and pulled it out, swiping the call to answer and held to her ear.

“What’s up?”

“Is that really how you answer all your calls?” Her mother's warm laugh echoed into the call.

“Not all, just to the people I know.” Mara grinned, taking a bite of her toast. “Something wrong mom?”

“No hon, I was just calling to see what plans you have for your summer.” She replied calmly.

Oh this had to be good. “Nothing much mom, working five nights every week from 2pm to 1 in the morning. Why?”

“I wish you’d take a job at my jewelers..” She muttered softly. Her parents disliked Mara having anything to do with crazy drunk people. But Mara loved the thrill of a fight or psychological argument.

“Mom, your point?”

“oh yes! A colleague of your father is inviting our family to their mansion as a celebration for being partners for 5 years now. It would mean a lot to your father if you came honey.” Her mother’s voice practically begging.

“Alright mom, when is it?” Mara asked, trying to withhold a sigh. 

“It starts 4pm on June 17th!” Her mother gleefully answered.

“A Saturday? Nice.” Mara smiled softly. “I’ll be there mom.”

“Great! I’ll let your father know. Love you honey!”

“Love you too mom.” Mara replied and hung up.

She released a sigh and set her phone in her back pocket. She knew if she refused the invite her mother would only beg her more, and it was only a week away so she knew that her mother was going to tell her short notice so she couldn’t come up with a good reason to not attend. It’s not that she didn’t want to go for her family, but half of the time she went to was just a bunch of people talking all sophisticated like with no humor. The other half of the time, after she turned 16, her parents were trying to match her up with some of the sons from other business partners or family friends.

Mara quickly set it on her phone and finished up with her food. After eating it was already 11:20 and she got on her black calf-high boots before grabbing her purse and walking out from her house. It was about 20 minutes to get to the club so she just took her time walking while plugging her headphones into her phone. Music was her favorite way to escape the world, and she could only watch as the people walked by her. She tries very hard each day not to judge people before she knows them, but sometimes the humans of this world were too easy to read. Like the girls that would brag about getting a boyfriend that was older than them, or the guys that would brag about doing a dumb challenge from the web.

When she arrived, her co-worker Sam looked at her. Sam was a kind man, age of 25 and had a wonderful girlfriend. He had dark skin and a well-built body to go with his person. Sam wore his ripped up jeans with a casual button up pale green shirt, and brown shoes to go along with the outfit. His hairstyle was a simple shave and a black medium stubble growing. His eyes were a pecan brown and a tattoo was wrapped around his bicep tattoo of the different phases of the moon.

“Hey Mara!” Sam smiled and Mara copied the smile while giving him a hi-five. He stood a good few inches above her, she only being 5 foot 5, and he being 6 foot 2. 

“Hey Sammy, what’s going on?”

“Not too much.” He shrugged, walking back to the counter and continuing to clean the cups. “Last night I had to kick out an asshole because he was picking on one of the dancers, dude didn’t even take a hint.”

“That sucks.” Mara huffed, sitting at one of the bar stools. “I hate it when we have idiots like that.”

Sam chuckled and nodded. “You say that, but you’re always itching to hit someone.” 

“Can you really blame me?” Mara grinned. “This is the only place I can get away with it.”

“Nah, you right. But still, shouldn’t you try to tone down the fighting? Alyssa is starting to worry about you.”

Alyssa was Sam’s girlfriend, a nice woman and had so much sass it puts professional actresses to shame. She had an almond skin tone, and dark coca eyes, with long brown hair that would fall down her back with dark waves and have caramel highlights. Although she could punch your lights out she did care about her closest friends.

“She always worries, I’ve told you guys before, that i’m not going to jail anytime soon.” Mara groaned, resting her head on the table.

“She’s more worried about you not taking care of yourself.” Sam said, setting the glass down and leaning on the counter top. “You always are doing this to yourself, you only have us as close friends, you join in on fights, and you’re so thin that the wind could carry you.”

Mara quickly lifted her head. “Ok, that last statement is a lie, I actually have been putting on weight.”

“Oh yeah? How much?” Sam grinned, watching Mara advert her eyes.

“Uhh..i’m at 120 pounds now.” Mara admitted slowly.

“Uh-huh, girl do yourself a favor and buy a cake.” Sam chuckled. “For God's sake I don’t even know if one cake would do it.”

“Not with my metabolism.” Mara scoffed. “But seriously, I always will come to you guys if something is wrong.”

“I'm gonna hold you to that.” He nodded and grabbed some of the coasters out, setting them on the tables. “Why are you here so early today? It’s barely noon.”

“I don’t know, I woke up feeling pretty energized. After finishing my final I just couldn’t sit and wait.” Mara shrugged. “I have a weird feeling, like something exciting is going to happen.”

“Oh? Like what?” Sam asked, flipping the closed sign to open and walking back to the counter.

“I’m not sure, but my gut feeling is never wrong. Like when I told you Alyssa would love those black ankle strap heels?” Mara grinned.

“That serious huh?” Sam lightly smacked Mara’s head at the mention of his 2nd anniversary.

“Yep. now, let me work early, please!” Mara smiled, fluttering her lashes.

“Uh no.” Sam replied, flicking her forehead to stop the look. “First off, you begging is terrifying, second if I allow you to start early you’ll be working overtime. You know how Kenny hates people going over schedule.”

“That’s because Kenny likes money.” Mara huffed, rubbing her forehead.

The nightclub was really popular, mainly because there was ‘friendly’ hours from 12 to 6 then the more ‘sexy’ hours from 6 to 1 am. The place consisted of the bar that surrounded the dancing stage, to stop anyone from climbing up to the dancers. And then the DJ’s booth was on the stage towards the back of it so the dancers had the center and front of the stage. The rest of the place had just a large set up of tables and lounge areas. There was a good space in the middle that had a light up dance floor. 

In the day it looked like a normal bar, but at night the neon lights would kick on and the place would be thumping with music. This place was called “Eden Sanctuary”, the loudest nightclub in the city and one of the safest for customers and employees. Kenny was greedy but he’d always make sure his employees were safe to avoid any lawsuits. He especially hated when an employee tries to work over time, such people like Mara.

“Fine, can I at least just sit at the booth and relax?” Mara pouted.

“It’s alright with me.” Sam shrugged and Mara walked over to one of the private booths.

She closed the door and propped her feet onto the table, leaning back she resumed her music and day dreamed.

Yep, this was the norm. Getting up, doing paperwork, getting food and watching TV for a couple hours, then going to work and passing out when she got home. She didn’t have many friends because so many find her weird. People like Sam and Alyssa like her because she is weird but very independent, and Mara was always there when they were in need. Mara has always been called kind for giving money and food to people, and doing small tasks for them like grabbing something off a shelf or getting a kids ball out of a lake. But those that knew her find it odd Mara would never ask for anything in return, plus her going to private and online schools limited her interactions with people like her.

It seemed society doesn’t know what good deeds are anymore. Mara sighed, there was nothing she could do to make people appreciate life, so all she could do is play nice. She closed her eyes and let herself escape reality.

Loud knocking woke Mara up and she snapped her head up and opened the door quickly. “Hey Sam.” She yawned.

“Come on, get on your uniform, time for work.” Sam smiled helping the sleepy girl out of the booth. “Any drink for you?”

“Virgin shirley temple!” She called out as she headed to the dressing room.

She ran down quickly, getting past some of the other workers, several of the dancers get here early to get ready since makeup took so long. Mara quickly grabbed her bartender outfit and changed into the slacks, white shirt, and black vest. Since she had boots on she didn’t bother to change her shoes. The music upstairs was thumping with pop and quickly hid her purse in the corner of the room before running back upstairs.

She got behind the counter and brushed her shirt off, tugging the vest slightly and smiling as Sam handed her a shirley temple. “Thanks Sam. Ready for tonight’s bad decisions?”

“Well, as the ol’ saying goes-”

Mara knew this one, and they said in unison. “I don’t need alcohol to make bad choices.”

They laughed and hi-fived each other before going off to separate sides of the counter to serve the customers. Normally it didn’t get really busy until 4pm, but that all depended on the day. Through the hours Mara had easily ignored the males that flirted with her, and pretended to be nice to all the sluts of the bar. Mara felt bad for Sam, he was a good looking guy but some of these women wouldn’t get the hit that he has a girlfriend.

Mara envied people that found someone they loved, but she’d never admit that out loud. Just no one made her life a challenge. She didn’t want to be with some rich punk, nor a person who wouldn’t lift a finger for work. But she could pass up love for another couple years.

“Mara! Could you throw the recyclables out?” James called out to her.

“Yeah I got it!” Mara called back, going around to collect the bottles and cans. Anything to get away from people even just for a minute.

After she grabbed as many bottles and cans as she could into a container and took it out the back. As she walked out she huffed seeing some people smoking in the ally, and she turned away to open the recycle bin. Mara dumped the container and huffed a bit as she closed it, turning to the ally to see someone on the ground. Her adrenaline spiked and she took out her tactical flashlight, being a bartender you could never be too careful and she would need light when she walked home.

She flicked on the flashlight and slowly walked over, kneeling down and grabbing the man’s shoulder to turn him onto his back. “Sir? Are you alright?”

He didn’t move as she turned him over and his head tilted back, revealing a deep gash on his neck. Mara gasped and let go of him, sure she was used to seeing ugly stuff because of her studies, but not this close before. Hearing a light thud she stood up quickly and shined the light down the alleyway, seeing nothing at first.

Her instincts kicked in and she turned quickly, holding in a scream as she saw a masked man, and swung her flashlight at the man’s head. He grabbed her arm quickly and shoved her to the wall, but as painful as her head hitting the stone wall was she just felt her adrenaline spike again. Mara quickly bit into his arm and heard him groan in pain, he grabbed at her hair to pull her off but she only turned and bit his wrist, sinking her teeth in with all her strength. She tasted copper which tasted fowl in her mouth, but refused to let go. 

Finally the man threw her to the ground, making her gasp in pain as she looked up. The man took out a pocket knife, she assumed it was the same one he used to kill the man behind her, but strangely it was clean. He quickly lunged at her and she panicked at the sudden movement, and kicked her foot out to meet his chest, causing him to grunt again but grab her leg and raised the knife above her stomach. Mara let out a gasp but quickly lurched forward to grab his arm, trying to pry his fingers from the knife.

The man seemed to be startled but used his other hand to try and push her away from him, but Mara had wrestled with assholes before and she was not going down without a fight. She listened to the man grunt as she managed to kick the heel of her boot into his leg, she had to try and remember his voice in case the police did get him. In the midst of their wrestling the man finally twisted his wrist in a way to get his hand free from her, dragging the blade across her palm in the process. 

Mara yelped in pain but with all the adrenaline she was able to ignore the burn from the wound. The man stood up fast, looking at his wrist for a moment as he turned away, but that’s all she needed. She instantly wrapped her arms around his neck as he quickly dropped the knife and grabbed at her arms around his neck, and due to her being shorter she managed to pull him back a little. He growled under his breath, muttering what sounded like a cuss word and he quickly backed up, slamming her into the wall again. If Mara wasn’t so stubborn she probably would’ve let go but she just wrapped her other arm around his neck. She glanced to the alley as the man continued to try and throw her off or hit her against the wall, seeing the people walking by she began to scream.

“Call the police! Someone call the police! Fire!”

Contrary to what most think, the human brain reacts to the word ‘fire’ faster than the words ‘help’ or ‘rape’, and her call actually managed to catch someones attention. The next thing she knew her world spun as she was flipped over him. Mara did let go this time, screaming in pain as she felt her back being scratched on the concrete. Her vision was blurry but she made out the man, with a white mask and a yellowish coat, but otherwise her vision was starting to fade. The last thing she noticed was the man looking anxious and grabbing something before running down the alley, and seeing a couple people run towards her. She couldn’t hear anything but her own heartbeat as she closed her eyes and gave into her exhaustion. 

~Back at the manor~

“What kind of idiot are you?”

“Shut it hoodie you weren’t there.” 

Slender heard the grumbles and gasps of pain from the security room as he was walking by, he teleported in and was surprised at Masky’s wounds. Bites on his left arm and a deep bite on his right wrist. Hoodie was currently putting some medicine on Masky’s neck which was red from friction.

“What happened here?”

“Oh shit!” Masky jolted, looking at Slender in frustration through his mask. “Don’t do that please!”

“Nothing Slender, Masky just had a fight with a girl.” Hoodie shrugged. “Apparently she was pretty tough but he managed to knock her out cold.”

“I see..and why did you attack a woman?” Slender questioned as he walked over.

“She saw a person in an alleyway, a guy I killed. She came out before I had the chance to hide the body so I thought I would just kill her too. But she turned out to be a tough little shit.” Masky grumbled, letting Hoodie wrap up his new bites.

“Hm..where were you at?” Slender questioned.

“He was at a club called Eden Sanctuary.” Hoodie replied for Masky.

Now Slender didn’t mind this at all, sure Masky got a few wounds, but maybe this girl is the one they’ve been looking for.


	2. Health Pack Anyone?

Chapter 2- Health Pack Anyone?

Mara woke up the next day to see a white ceiling, and she groaned at the sunlight coming through the window next to her. She glanced around and could tell from all the equipment that she was in the hospital. Slowly her mind started working and flashes of last night’s events played through her head, making her groan in pain. She slowly looked to the small panel on the side of her bed and hit the button that would call the nurse.

The door opened after a couple minutes and a doctor entered, smiling at her. “Hello miss Pierce. You certainly gave my nurses a scare last night.”

“What happened?” Mara asked instantly, sitting up and held her head as it got dizzy.

“Your boss, Kenny, he brought you here at 11pm last night. He said that someone hurt you pretty bad.” The doctor explained.

“I can feel it.” Mara smiled a bit, trying to make light of the subject. “What’s the diagnosis?”

“Well, your right hand was cut pretty deep but we were able to fix that without an issue. Your back was cut up from what we assume was the ground, so we cleaned up the rocks and your back will just need to be cleaned with warm water to avoid infection. Lastly, your head sustained some bleeding last night, but some water and rest and you should be back to work.”

“Thanks.” Mara nodded. “Anything else?”

“You’re free to leave when you feel capable to walk, your boss said to give him a call and don’t come into work today.” He said, and said softly. “We also noticed, but you’re not really healthy, are you eating?”

“I have an odd eating schedule.” Mara shrugged, moving to the side of the bed and slowly getting up.

“Alright...then I suggest eating more filling meals, keep to the three meals a day schedule.” He sighed.

“You got it doctor. Thanks, but who paid for my bringing here?” Mara asked, raising a brow.

“Ah right.” He said, taking a paper off one of the desks and handing it to her. “Your parents, they also wanted you to call.”

Oh joy. Mara groaned internally, but nodded to the doctor and got into her clothes. Kenny was kind enough to bring her clothes back, apparently the nurse said he took her tattered uniform back after they put her to bed. Mara was also happy he brought her purse to the hospital, he must have had someone get it after finding her.

She signed out of the building and started walking home, surprisingly happy she had more sleep, just not the way she expected it to go. She looked at her phone which read ‘9:45, Monday, June 11th’ and sighed. Time to face the music, she thought, dialing her boss’s number. She held it to her ear and waited as it rang, when it did pick up a groggy voice said from the other end.

“Yes?”

“Hey Kenny, sorry about last night.”

“Hey kid, shit happens, i’m just glad you didn’t get killed. The police had me close down for the day while they investigate the area. I’m guessing you’re not responsible for the dead guy?”

“Nah, found him that way.” Mara huffed. Yes because she’d attack a random person then suddenly injure herself.

“I figured. Well get some rest kid, Sam or I will let you know if things change for tomorrow.”

“Bye.” Mara hung up. Her head was still a little light but she was able to walk and talk, so she dialed her father’s number.

“Mara? Mara dear are you alright?” Her father picked up in a matter of seconds.

“Yes dad, I’m alright.” Mara smiled, hearing the concern always made her remember how much she loved her parents.

“Here hold on, your mother is here too I’m putting you on speaker.” He said, and after a couple light taps she heard her mother’s voice.

“Mara honey are you ok? Are you still at the hospital? Jerry can come and grab you!”

Mara let out a small laugh. “Mom I’m fine, I’m walking home now. Just a few cuts and bruises. My boss already called me off for the day.”

“Not the best way to start summer huh?” Her father pointed out.

“Roger! Don’t joke about this!”

“Helen she was attacked, we can’t pretend that she wasn’t hurt.”

Mara listened to her parents bicker for a second before she called out to them. “Guys, it’s ok really. I’m just going to relax today. It was probably just some freak that was high or something.”

“Honey you could always visit us if you don’t feel safe.”

“She’s right Mara, if you want to feel free to come by for a bit.”

“Thanks for the offer, but the doctor said I should stay in bed and have some water. Love you guys.”

“Love you too sweetie!”

Mara hung up and crossed the street, getting to her apartment took a good 30 minutes, but as she arrived Mara took the key out of her purse before entering her home. As she walked in she took off her boots and dropped her purse to the floor, closing the door behind her. Mara started to stagger to the kitchen, grabbing a glass and taking an apple from the fridge. It confused her a little, whoever attacked her was definitely not high or drunk. They were strong, skilled with a knife, and completely aware of what they were doing.

It was too coordinated for a random person too, perhaps he was in a gang or ex-military? The thoughts started banging on her head, demanding her to stop and relax. She let out a sigh and took her cup and apple upstairs, turning her laptop as she got onto her bed. Putting on the news she saw a glimpse of the Eden club and she watched as the reporter pulled up visuals of the attack. Part of her felt proud, but she better hope her parents don’t look at this. The camera was dark, the only light in the alley was from her flashlight, and even then it was knocked out of her hand so everything was just shadows.

Mara closed the news tab and opened up netflix, hoping whatever was on would actually calm her down. But a little voice in the back of her head kept questioning what happened, and worse she felt like she’s seen him before.

~at the mansion~

“So let me get this straight. Masky might have seen Mara?”

“Yes Jeff, that’s why we need to know what she looked like.”

Jeff was currently at his door, woken up quite rudely by Kate, with her banging on the door. He crossed his arms and thought, a frown tugged at his lips. Kate had given a quick explanation about what happened to Masky and the girl he attacked.

“I have my doubts that even if I told you what she looked like, that was years ago. She could’ve moved.” Jeff replied, severely doubting the luck of finding her after all these years.

“Jeff, we need this information. Ben is already looking through the computer file for the employee’s at the club.” Kate said, getting annoyed now with Jeff.

“Alright.” Jeff sighed. “Black hair, she was around 12 or something like that, around Ben’s physical age. So i’d imagine she’s 20 now. Plus she had these...purple eyes.”

“Purple? Jeff no one is born with purple eyes.” Kate huffed out, receiving a glare from Jeff.

“And supposedly it’s impossible for Slender to be real.” He shot back.

Kate sighed and nodded her head. “Alright, thanks, I’ll tell Ben to look out for that on the search.” 

As she left, Jeff closed his door and laid back down on his bed, he was confused. If Masky attacked her and she fought back, does that mean she didn’t know who he was? Granted she’s never met him, but she bumped into Hoodie before so that should’ve rang a bell.

Downstairs Ben was staring at his laptop with boredom, the names of “Mara” were popping up but he had no idea what she’d look like now. Kate told him what to look for and he had to think back to when he met her on Halloween. She was dressed up as Jane, and was around his age so that part was easy to filter, but he thought the black hair was just a wig for her outfit. Adding in the purple eyes and black hair the search number dropped significantly.

His eyes widened as it marked down to only 5 people. Out of the 5 presented, two were european that had probably either changed eye color or dyed their hair, one asian girl that looked like she was wearing contacts. But the last two were american girls with full black hair, and although they both had somewhat purple eyes, the one picture of the violet eyes caught his attention.

Ben quickly clicked on it and looked at her current employment. Eden Sanctuary.

By the time everyone woke up, Ben was passed out on the couch as EJ placed a blanket over him, closing the laptop and setting it on the floor. “What will happen even if we find her?”

“Not sure EJ, Slender is just determined to find her.” Hoodie shrugged. “Masky’s still in a bitch mood because she actually was able to hurt him.”

“She can fight, but does she know who we are?” EJ asked, and even through the hood he could tell Hoodie was annoyed.

“Look just think about whatever questions you have, and if you don’t know, I don’t know.” 

EJ grumbled a bit and walked off to the kitchen to grab a frozen kidney. Hoodie walked to Slender’s room and knocked quietly first, it was bad luck to wake him if he didn’t sleep well. Thankfully the door opened and Slender looked down at Hoodie. “Hoodie? Do you need something?”

“Honestly, everyone is annoying me and Masky with their questions. Is there a reason we’re trying to find this girl?”

Slender thought carefully before answering. “If people are really curious then let them know that she might be the only way we can prove to people we live. The more people we have believe in us the better.”

“Why not just kidnap a normal fan then? I’m sure many fangirls would like to volunteer.” Hoodie tilted his head.

“Hoodie, i’ve seen what those girls have written and said about us. I will not have a crazy girl that will only try to have sex with everyone.” Slender shuddered at the thought of having some crazy young teen in here.

“After putting it like that. Yeah this girl sounds like a better choice.” Hoodie agreed, trying to avoid any images in his head as he suppressed a shiver.

“Besides, she knows us..” Slender added. “I just don’t understand why I never met her.”

Hoodie had no answer for that, Mara always seemed to appear out of nowhere. First in the alleyway, then the woods, a closed store, and then at a mansion where she was supposedly adopted. The other cp’s that met her said that they couldn’t kill her, something was off about her, especially to Hoodie. Jeff had explained that there was no point bringing her up to Slender because she was a harmless girl, yet he saw her again when Hoodie was supposed to kill her.

“Maybe she is just spontaneous?” Hoodie suggested.

“Too much so..No matter, we’ll talk to her later. Go see Ben, see if he found her.” Slender ordered, retreating back into his room.

Hoodie huffed but walked over to the couch, but seeing Ben asleep he knew he’d get pranked on later if he was to wake the boy. He shook his head and walked back to the security room to watch the cameras in the forest. 

~Back to Mara~

Mara was called many things, kind, strange, masochist, psycho, wise, playful, but she never thought she’d hear paranoid.

“Paranoid? You think I’m paranoid?” Mara asked, looking at her phone which was on her bed with speaker on.

“Girl you are always tense, but you implying you know the person that attacked you is crazy. Don’t you think you should tell the list of suspects to the police rather than me?”

“Alyssa, I’m telling you because I wanted to know if you’ve heard anything.”

“Just because I work at a coffee shop doesn’t mean I hear everything going on. Most of my customers conversations are dumb anyways.” Alyssa sassed from the other end.

“Right..sorry, now back to the point. I don’t know the guy that attacked me, he’s too skilled and smart to be any of the guys I’ve had a fight with. But something about him seems familiar, and I’ve looked up any criminals at large in current news, but nothing is pointing to this guy.” Mara explained, drinking some more water.

“Maybe he’s an older criminal? Like, a cold case that’s come back to life?”

“Nah, too young, the guy only looked to be in his 20’s or maybe early 30’s. I’m guessing based on his height and strength. But there’s no cold cases in this area either.”

“Or he could be a killer that only just started wearing a mask to hide his dumbass.”

“Maybe..” Mara muttered, but her head started to sting from these thoughts.

“Look Mara, no one is after you, it was just a random street creep. When you’re doing better we should go to the mall!” Alyssa called out gleefully.

Mara couldn’t help but smile. “Alright..I’ll give you a call when I have availability. Bye Alyssa.”

“Caio girl!” She called back before hanging up.

Mara still didn’t feel calm, but she was a little at ease thinking that this could have just been a freak accident. Alyssa was always a good person to talk to for reality sense, she always made things seem like things were not a fantasy. Whereas Mara always liked to think of every possibility no matter how real or impossible it may seem, Mara was always a dreamer. A small smile tugged at her lips, remembering all the short novels she wrote online, but only one of her works was good enough to be published. While most of her short stories were of fandoms, and tv shows she got hooked on over the years, one of her stories was specifically how she felt about society. 

It was called “Service with a Smile”, it was a horror/suspense detailing about a girl who was constantly told she wasn’t doing good enough at her job, which made her snap and have great customer service. But with that customer service, if there was a rude or ridiculous customer she’d lure them into the back of the shop and kill them. A guy who just wanted to be a cop was trying to catch this mysterious killer, and in the end, he managed to kill the girl but he died from blood loss in the process.

That book was made in a strenuous time of her life, when college was starting and the pressure was on trying to get a job. She found it a miracle that her parents even let her publish it, but that’s mainly because my father enjoyed the idea of her having a career in writing. As Mara grew up she got really busy and had trouble trying to come up with ideas for her stories. Although her book did great, giving me money to pay for her living standards, Mara couldn’t come up with another smash hit for the public.

Perhaps she was blowing this out of proportion, she should just move on..

“Over my Bendy doll I will!” Mara argued out loud to herself and flopped down on her bed, grabbing her laptop.

And yes, she was a geek, although trying to save money she couldn’t buy all the games she wanted so she only bought small stuff like wallets, jewelry, toys, and other things as such. Mara even had an LED set from Detroit Become Human that her father got for her one christmas. She was not only a game fan but also into certain animes like “Attack on Titan” or “Boku No Hero Academia.” But that’s besides the point.

She started typing, entering google for “white masked killers”, and hit search. Of course there’s the usual, “21 top killers”, “origins of Jason”, “top ranked horror movies”, the list just went on. But no matter how much she filtered in she couldn’t find any killers that were alive or real in the world. It was pointless trying to look this up, but she couldn’t think of anyway to find out who attacked her. Alyssa could be right, maybe it’s a new criminal, or someone no one has identified yet.

Yet that seemed impossible, he was too skilled, and with the death of that other man..maybe he was an assassin? Why haven’t the police picked up evidence? Even if he was smart it would take years of experience to hide his own tracks. The guy almost seemed too good..in fact maybe she should ask some of her readers? Even if it wasn’t their business, people always come up with things that your own brain wouldn’t think of. Mara quickly opened up all her writing sites and wrote out an entry for her viewers, asking anyone if they had a clue who the guy was that she described. She informed everyone that she was ok, but was a little shaken.

As she finished sending out messages she glanced at the time, it was already 4pm and she knew she had to eat something. Closing her laptop she got up and walked downstairs, and in a moment of panic, looked around the room. Nothing seemed out of place but she started to lock her windows for the evening, closing the curtains. Alyssa may have a point, she was getting paranoid. But paranoia isn’t bad if it keeps you alive.

~back at the mansion~

“You’re sure?”

“Absolutely! That’s the bitch I was trying to kill.” Masky growled, crossing his arms.

“Watch it Masky.” Jeff grumbled, twirling his knife in his hand.

Ben closed his laptop. “Well, I haven’t found the hospital records yet, but if that’s her then we need to get her.”

“Did you find her work schedule?” Hoodie asked, taking a seat on the couch.

“At Eden? No, unfortunately whatever firewall they use to protect themselves from viruses, it’s really good.” Ben shook his head.

“Well, seems like we’ll have to do some undercover work.” Jeff huffed a little. “Who goes?”

“Not me, I’m still being tested for any infections.” Masky joked darkly.

“Masky, I highly doubt she has anything, much less could infect you by biting.” Hoodie looked over at his friend.

“Why not send someone with a bit more..human features?” Ben suggested. “Someone that can observe?”

“But they also need to look at the right age to get into the bar.” Jeff pointed out.

“Toby?” Masky shrugged. “Domino?” He honestly didn’t give a shit at this point.

“Toby would get into trouble, and he wouldn’t be able to get into the bar. Domino is on a mission in New York.” Hoodie added.

“What about Hobo heart?’ Ben suggested.

“Nah, he looks too dressed up with his skeleton look for anyone to take him seriously.” Jeff groaned. “This is dumb. No one in this place looks human enough.”

“Wait..what about Heartful Lou?”Hoodie asked.

The four thought for a moment, Heartful Lou was more human than the rest of them, but he may be tempted to kill the dancers or cheaters in the building. But he at least had some self control, he looked old enough to fool someone, and he wouldn’t drink.

“I’ll ask him if he can go.” Masky shrugged. “He’s probably our best bet.”

“That’s only if you can get him here, Lou typically likes to be alone.” Jeff pointed out.

“I think I’ve only seen him twice ever since he became a creepypasta.” Ben muttered.

“That’s because he’s always killing the people that mess with your feelings.” Hoodie got up and stretched. “I’m going to go and see if anything needs to be done.”

“I’ll try to get in contact with Lou.” Masky nodded at Hoodie, walking off.

“Masky you make sure he doesn’t attack her got it?!” Jeff yelled out to the proxy.

“Suck a dick Jeff!” Masky yelled back, not looking back.

“Well I’m going to take a break from hacking.” Ben said, moving his laptop to the side and grabbing an Xbox controller.

Hoodie walked down the hall before seeing Jay and called out. “Jay, we have a task to do.”

~back to Mara~

Mara was having trouble relaxing, her thoughts were in a tangled mess from the night before, and she didn’t want to sleep unless she was absolutely sure no one could get into her home. She stayed in her room, propping a chair against the door and made a homemade tripwire near her window out of sewing thread. She also had her flashlight on her nightstand, but still felt uneasy.

She was tempted to go home for a bit, but she didn’t want to be a bother, and she should be old enough now to get by this event. Kenny had called saying that they were going to open up usual hours, but he only wanted her to stay there from 12pm to 8:30pm that way she still had enough daylight to get home. Sighing, she grabbed her laptop and opened it, watching some YouTube playthroughs.

She was in the middle of the episode when a red icon popped up on her wattpad, and she opened it, expecting spam. However, she noticed it was responses to her questions. She started reading through, deleting the ones that had nothing to do with the conversation, but stopped at one section.

“A masked guy huh? What if it’s a new CP?”

“Yeah! It sounds like you met a creepypasta! That is so cool!”

“You’re still alive?!”

“Sounds like Masky or Hoodie!”

“Hoodie doesn’t have a white mask you dolt, but it sounds like Masky for sure.”

Masky? Hoodie? Creepypasta? Is this some kind of a joke? Mara asked herself before opening up a separate tab to look up Creepypasta. It popped up with all kinds of horrifying pictures, why was pokemon and Sonic a part of this? Mara stopped however seeing a picture of Slenderman, she knew about the dumb movie and legend from a case file of a girl killing her friends as a sacrifice. But she never took the time to look into this.

As the night rolled on, she was just reading through different profiles, however she wanted origins which were hard to find. Finally she came across a YouTuber by the name of Jordan Persegeti, who drew the characters and told their survivor and origin stories. He was an amazing story teller, and the stories, while some were terrifying, the origins were sad to Mara.

Who deserved to be left behind? Bullied? Tortured? Drowned? So many cruel things that’s happened, even the stories that were not characters, but like the “Russian Sleep Experiment” or “The Smiling Man”. So many of these stories filled her head, it began throbbing from all the emotions and theories. When she had finished another video she glanced at the time, sighing when she saw it was already midnight. 

She closed up the laptop and closed her eyes, but the images of the characters, the way they were drawn by Jordan showed how human they looked before they were morphed into creatures. But these were just stories, there was no way they could be real. She curled up into herself, trying to push the thoughts out of her head, but in the back of her mind she began to hear a song from one of the videos. 

“Half a pound of tuppenny rice  
Half a pound of treacle  
That's the way the money goes  
Pop goes the weasel~”

(Hey guys! Just letting you know, Jordan Persegeti is an amazing CP storyteller and artist! He also has both the survivor stories and origin stories of several CPs. He also has art challenges and Anime drawings too!)


	3. Is Mana Low or My Sanity?

Any other day would have been fine, but her work was still closed due to suspects and people having unconfirmed alibis from the night before. Mara’s nerves, not any better. After reading those Creepypasta’s and listening to their stories she felt on edge, and unsatisfied. She needed to read more, she needed to understand. She looked over to the clock which was showing ‘11:30am Tuesday, June 12’, which even waking up late fogged her good sense of judgement. Mara flipped open her laptop and started looking up lists of Creepypasta stories, trying to find any that she may have missed.

After about an hour, her phone rang and she picked it up hastily. “Hello?”

“Jeez girl, are you alright?” Alyssa said on the other side.

“My head is going to explode..” Mara muttered miserably.

“Come on girl, stop by my work. I go on break in thirty minutes.” Alyssa replied.

“Alright..thanks Alyssa. I’ll be there in twenty.”

Mara hung up and quickly got up to get dressed, getting into black yoga pants and a red tank top. She grabbed her purse and dashed out of the house as she started doing a light jog to “Armed with Java,” it was a great coffee house but damn it the wrong place to try and write. The stereotypical people that would come in and write for hours? Yeah, you have 1 hour to loiter before they kick you out.

Along her jog she caught a glimpse of yellow, making her stop and look back. She looked on the other side of the road but saw no one wearing yellow. She shrugged it off and began jogging again, but this time she felt a chill up her spine, which made her pause. The sun was bright and was providing plenty of warmth, so why was she so cold? Mara forced herself to press on, this time running to the “Armed with Java.”

As she entered the shop a good 20 minutes later she smiled as Alyssa waved to her from the counter. The shop, like most coffee houses, had mostly window space and in the center of the room was the island of workers and coffee machines. It was exceptionally fancy, and every once in a while a band or someone that could perform would come in. Mara walked up to the island and smiled at Alyssa. “Think you can make me a shake before we sit?”

“Usual? Vanilla?” Alyssa asked, turning around to make the drink.

“Yep.” Mara answered and looked out through the windows, a chill ran up her spine and her gut turned a little. She glanced out to the streets and alleys that she could see and slowly relaxed, looking back at her friend as she handed her the drink.

The two sat near one of the windows, a simple table, and two chairs so they could talk. Alyssa was wearing tan boot cut pants that were slightly faded, with black shoes on her feet, and her shirt was a black top that had holes cut out to show her shoulders. She wore a light coloring of gold eye shadow and her wavy hair was tied back into a high ponytail. She gave Mara a concerned look. “You alright Mara?”

“Kind of, I feel sick..but I’m not sure why.” Mara admitted, Alyssa was like a sister to her so she was more open to her than her own mother.

“I think you work too much.” Alyssa stated, sitting back in her chair with a smile.

“Yeah, maybe, but it’s actually because of something else..” Mara began taking a drink from her shake before looking around and muttering. “I think some creepypasta tried to kill me.”

“A creepy-what?” Alyssa asked in confusion, leaning forward in order to listen to Mara.

“A creepypasta, it was originally a website to let people put their stories up of supernatural or scary stories. Creepy, and pasta is a tangle of events. The man that attacked me may have been one of them.” Mara explained.

“Alright..so you think a ghost is after you, why?” Alyssa asked, she was always listening to the full story before jumping to conclusions.

“I’m not sure, maybe I was just another person he wanted to kill. But I sort of remember what he looked like, I asked my readers online and they said I was attacked by Masky. A creepypasta who is a servant to Slenderman.”

“Whoa wait, Slenderman? That really tall creepo?”

“Exactly. And by the things I’ve looked up that’s gotta be who it was.”

Alyssa stared for a moment before chuckling. “That’s why you look like shit. Damn, did you get any sleep?”

“Not much, I wanted to know ok? I have been reading all the Creepypasta stories I could. Trying to get anything I could.” Mara whined a little, resting her head on the table.

“Gotcha...well, it also could have been a weirdo that happened to look like him. Don’t forget most of your readers happen to be 13 to 18.” Alyssa pointed out calmly.

Mara lifted her head, sighing a bit, she took another sip of her drink but froze as she looked out the window past Alyssa. Down the street a hooded man with a red frown over the dark mask was looking at her. Mara kept her eyes on him and muttered to Alyssa. “Alyssa..that’s one of them.”

Alyssa raised a brow but before she could turn to look a sharp pain hit Mara’s head and her ears filled with a strong buzzing sound, like static from an old TV. Mara dropped her shake back onto the table and covered her ears as her temples throbbed. Although it only lasted for a few seconds, the numbing pain was still there in her head. Alyssa was holding her arms, trying to get her attention and move Mara’s hands off her ears but Mara kept them there. Her hands provided a strange comfort as she looked to where the man stood, the figure now gone from the street.

“Mara? Mara are you ok?” Alyssa called urgently.

“Y-yeah I just..my head hurts.” Mara replied, finally moving her hands off her head.

Alyssa held Mara’s shaky hands and looked over her shoulder for a moment before looking back at Mara. “Who did you see?”

“H-hoodie.” Mara replied, getting a confused look from Alyssa. “A Creepypasta.”

Alyssa sighed but continued to hold Mara’s hands. They were both silent as Mara slowly regained composure and her hands stilled in Alyssa’s. After the minutes had passed Alyssa commented quietly.

“I know you’re not lying Mara, when you lie you always smile. And you actually looked like you were in pain. I don’t know if you’re right or not, but clearly this whole thing has gotten you off on a crazy hunt of these things. Please, if you have any time you should stay with Sam and I, or at your parents.”

Maybe she was right, Mara thought, maybe she’s taking things too far and letting her imagination get the best of her. She slowly nodded and stood up with Alyssa. “Alright..I’ll think about it, thanks for hearing me out.”

Alyssa smiled and gave her a hug, Mara was only a couple inches smaller than her so she rested her head on Alyssa’s shoulder. “Mara, how about we go shopping after my shift? I get off at 3 today.”

Mara pulled away and gave a small smile, nodding her head. “Sounds good, I need to anyways.”

Alyssa grinned. “Let me guess, your parents?”

Mara shrugged. “The last ‘fancy’ dress I had gotten too small for me. I need another one, and I need someone that actually knows my taste in clothes.”

Alyssa gave a small giggle and nodded, walking back to her station and waving Mara goodbye from there. Mara left, and having no work today meant she could do something in the meantime, which meant going back to her house. As she headed home, she didn’t dare to look up, worried that all of this was causing her to hallucinate from lack of sleep and her imagination. When she arrived, her body felt heavy, drained, and she still felt sick. Mara instantly went to her room and laid down, her mind so worked up she didn’t even register that she was hungry.

Her laptop was close to her, it felt as if her hand was tugging to grab it, but it remained still on the bed. Her head started to swirl with confusion, she wanted to grab it and continue her research, but the words of Alyssa still held her back. Quickly she opened the laptop and exited out of all creepypasta stories and videos she had looked up. That was the end of it. Mara sighed and started watching some video game playthroughs to calm her down. She just needed to relax herself long enough until she went to meet Alyssa later.

After three hours, Mara jogged back up to the coffee shop, her smile returned as she listened to her music on the way. Alyssa was just walking out the door, her hair now down and she waved to Mara.

“You look a lot better!”

“Yeah, gaming videos and a quick power nap.” Mara said breathlessly as she slowed down next to Alyssa.

“Ugh, you keep napping and you’ll get even worse sleep. You already don’t fall asleep till 1:30 in the morning.” Alyssa lightly complained as she and Mara started to walk down the street.

The two joked and laughed along the way as they looked through a couple shops, but knowing her mom, Mara had to be careful what she chose to wear. Her mother was always particular to how she presented herself to her father’s coworkers. Alyssa held out a blue strapless dress that gave off a summer feel to it. “What about this one?”

“Nah, to bright.” Mara shook her head, moving to the back of the store as she looked through the dresses. “I need something..darker yet elegant.”

“Sure why don’t you call your fairy godmother?” Alyssa chuckled, looking through the section of dresses she was at.

Mara continued to look when she stopped and looked at a nearby mirror, hearing a faint grumbling. It was strange but she thought she saw someone there and stepped closer but was confused when she saw no one. Something told her to look at the mirror, and when she did she noticed from the mirror there was a small finger print on the side. Carefully she moved the mirror away from the wall and was puzzled when she saw a muddy partial footprint. It was fresh too, but there was no other footprints on the floor.

After the few hours had passed Mara made no progress in finding a dress, knowing her mom would find one thing or another wrong about it. Alyssa laughed it off and waved to Mara as they were about to part ways for the night. It was only 7pm, so Mara wasn’t tired, she waved back as she turned to go home. The walk was peaceful and several people were out or driving around, probably ecstatic to get home after the day. Mara listened to her music, arriving home and making herself dinner while she called her mom.

“Hey sweetie! How are you doing?”

“Day two since the attack? Well..paranoid to be honest.” Mara admitted, glancing at the phone.

“Oh honey, I wish you would never had to experience that.” Her mother said softly.

“It’s alright mom..Mom? I couldn’t help but wonder, was there anyone at dad’s work that knew me and I may have accidentally caused a grudge?”

“No honey, I can assure you, there is no one you’ve made angry from father’s work. Actually all of today he was searching to make sure his workers were where they needed to be or at home.”

“Oh sh-, darn, sorry I didn’t mean to cause a mess at his work.” Mara quickly corrected herself. No matter how old she was her parents hated fowl language.

“Mara, he always has time to make sure his little girl is safe.”

Mara felt herself smile and a warmth spread through her chest. “Thanks mom..also, have I been to the hospital before?”

“Well your mother needed some place to give birth.” Her mother laughed. “But no you were always safe and never needed medication. why?”

“I just felt like I was there before..” Mara replied. “I’m going to try and sleep early. Night mom.”

“Good night sweetie!”

Mara sighed and went upstairs with her plate and phone, eating in her room as she watched videos again. Her phone rang and she answered, hearing her boss on the other end. “Hello?”

“Hey Mara, good news the police are heading out so your shift tomorrow is with Sam. It’s from 12pm to 8:30, just so you’re not walking home in the dark.” Kenny spoke.

“Thanks Kenny, I’m sure I’ll recover quickly.” Mara smiled. “See you later.”

Kenny hung up and Mara subconsciously held her bandaged hand. Her heart was beating faster as the attack ran through her head, but knew there was nothing she could do. What’s done is done, she couldn’t track this guy down. She heard the doorbell go off, making her quickly get off her bed and walk downstairs. Mara took a look through the peephole and was not at all surprised to see two police officers.

She opened the door for them giving a welcoming but small smile. “Afternoon officers.”

“Mara Pierce? I’m Detective Colin, I just had some questions to ask.” The older detective greeted, his looks were what she’d expect from a man that served on the force for more than 30 years. Grey hair, dark and tired eyes, and wore a black uniform.

“Yes sir, please come in.” Mara offered, stepping aside for them.

The second man was a lieutenant, a middle-aged man with dark brown hair with a black uniform as well. She lead them to the dining room and they sat down, she was thankful it was large enough for the three of them. Before they spoke Mara commented. “You didn’t find any trace of the guy didn’t you?”

The detective seemed surprised by her observation. “No, not even witnesses were able to describe him and all the security cameras were fuzzy or were in shadows. How did you know?”

Mara thought carefully, she knew they were making sure she didn’t kill the man that was left in the alley to die. “The man that attacked me was wearing gloves and a mask, no prints, hell even the knife he attacked me with was clean.”

Colin nodded. “Yes, we were able to identify what kind of knife made the cuts into the man, but we didn’t find the knife itself. Can you explain what happened?”

“To make it short, I was throwing the glass out when I saw the man faced down on the ground. I thought he was drunk or homeless so I called out to him, but he didn’t reply. Of course, when I got closer and turned him around I saw his wound and noticed the blood on the ground, the pattern was a arterial-”

“Arterial spurt..” Colin finished. “You’ve had forensic practice miss?”

“I dabble in research, crime scenes interest me.” Mara answered. “Anyways, so as soon as I saw it, I took out my tactical flashlight and turned around and that’s when the guy attacked me. At first I thought he was trying to strangle me or something, maybe rob or rape me, but when he took out his knife he clearly just wanted to keep me quiet. We struggled for a long time, until finally he threw me and I blacked out.”

“I heard from the hospital your hand was wounded, along with cuts to your back, and a head injury. Are you doing better?”

Mara smiled and held up her right hand to show the bandage. “Better, but sometimes my wounds burn or sting. I think my head is mostly clear..”

“Are you right handed or left?” Colin asked, he looked as if he was trying to figure something out.

“Ambidextrous.” Mara lowered her hand. “Was the wound created by a right handed person?”

Colin nodded again. “Anything you can tell us? The slightest detail could make a difference.”

Mara began to describe the man, from what she could remember and make out. The mask, the height, age, all of the things she had predicted and talked about with her friends. The lieutenant was writing everything on a pad of paper while Colin kept watching Mara. She knew why, every direction a person looks meant something in their story. If a person looked up and to the left that meant they were constructing a memory, if a person looked up to the right they were recalling a memory. The left side essentially was creating a story and the right was remembering something, and if you looked down to the right you were talking to yourself while looking down to the left meant how you were feeling.

It’s a hard thing to catch if someone’s rapidly looking around or doing anything to avoid your eyes, but after a couple years you catch on. But the night of the attack was playing like a movie in her head, she only looked at Colin while she answered. Even if she subconsciously looked to the right, it still meant she had nothing to lie about. After she explained everything Colin asked if she had any idea who would do this. Now, she was in an internal struggle.

“No..my dad already went through all of his staff and contacts, but everyone seemed to only have good things to say..Plus, I wasn’t in a normal school life so I never made a lot of friends, much less any enemies.” Mara answered.

Colin seemed to catch on to her uneasiness though and spoke softly. “If there’s something wrong you can inform us.”

The lieutenant stopped writing to look at Mara with a smile, showing he was not going to write it down unless it was essential. Mara took a deep breath before speaking, feeling her pulse pick up.

“I know this must sound impossible or crazy, but..I spoke with my followers online for my stories and asked if any had a similar situation or knew some killer that somehow I missed in the news. One of them said it was a Creepypasta named Masky.”

Mara watched their reactions, Colin seemed to be confused, but the lieutenant seems scared. But seeing that they weren’t stopping her she continued. “I know they’re just stories, but that man..real or copycat he was tough. My friend said it was most likely a copycat but..today, I thought someone was stalking me.”

“Who did you see miss?” the lieutenant asked, now looking worried.

“A man with a yellow hoodie and a form of mask with a red frown and eyes. He was just..standing there. I tried to keep my eyes on him and tell my friend to look, but then my head started to hurt and I swear I heard static in my ears. Then when I was able to look, the man was gone.”

The two men took a moment to take all this in and the lieutenant wrote something down real quick. Colin sighed and asked. “Have you had these extreme headaches before?”

“Only when I try to think before I was 14. But they’ve never been that fast and painful before dying out just as fast.”

Colin thought for a moment. “Why 14? Did you get hurt as a child?”

“I think so? My mother said I did so I never tried to look back on what happened.” Mara shrugged.

The men asked a couple more questions before telling her to call if anything happens and tells her to have a good night. The detective left without another word, but the lieutenant stopped at the door and looked to Mara. “you got pretty lucky..I mean, I don’t believe in the creepypasta’s but that guy sounded like a freak fan.”

“He was not drunk or anything by what I could tell, there was no symptoms or smells of drugs either.” Mara replied.

“I just mean..it’s bad enough we have criminals, but it’s always scary when there are criminals that actually know how to hide their tracks or are focused enough to cause a murder.” He said, and Mara then noticed the ring on his finger.

“I’m alright sir, shaken and sore, but I’ll be alright.” Mara smiled.

“just..Aaron is fine.” Aaron smiled sheepishly. “I have a little girl at home and she always tells me how she’s a big girl but..I can’t help but worry.”

“That’s what good parents do.” Mara said. “Sure it may get irritating, but that’s why you just give your kids all the advice you can.”

“Right..I just hope nothing like this will happen in my family.” He replied.

“I’m sure it won’t sir.” Mara nodded.

She bid him goodnight as he ran to the police car and got in with the detective. Mara watched as they drove off before closing and locking the door. She began locking everything and closing any curtains she could. She made herself a cinnamon burrito before going upstairs and watching TV. Mara was laying back on her pillows with her knees propped up and her laptop on her stomach with the brightness on its lowest setting. Yes she maybe a game and online nut, but she’s not willing to kill her eyesight yet.

After watching The Office for what only seemed like minutes her clock read 11pm. Her nerves were finally calm and she was not thinking about what events occurred at work. She jumped though when she heard some clattering coming from outside, and prayed it was a raccoon or other animal. Mara stood up, grabbing her baseball bat from under her bed and walked downstairs. Of course, she only pushed the curtains out of the way a little while she checked into the darkness.

Starting to feel her anxiety kick in she turned on the outside motion sensor lights. If she had anything to thank her parents for, it was helping her install the LED lights. She normally kept them off during summer because it was always light out until around 9pm and there was no use wasting power. She waited for a couple minutes as she looked out the small window of her back door, then carefully opened the door.

The air was cool and Mara’s body began to have goosebumps pop up as she took a step out. She watched for a moment, waiting to see if anyone or anything was going to move. After a couple minutes she decided it was nothing and turned to walk inside, but a loud bang caused her to scream and turn to the outside again. A large cat jumped from the trash bin and ran off, looking wounded and scared. Mara moved a hand over her heart and tried to calm down, sighing as she noticed another cat walk out into the light.

But as it was cleaning itself Mara backed away and closed the door, locking it and watching the cat. It was a strange color of black from its head to its tail with black paws, but from the muzzle to the belly of the cat was a strange reddish color. Then as it looked to Mara her heart stopped, it was staring at her with red eyes and its mouth opened to show a row of white teeth. It..was grinning at her. Suddenly she remembered this cat on the creepypasta website, and remembering what she read she grabbed a carton of milk and poured it into a small bowl.

She slowly opened the door and set the bowl out a couple feet from her, giving the cat the best smile she could to reassure him she was ok. The cat seemed happy and began drinking the milk, and Mara couldn’t help but watch in fascination. According to the web, this cat could create illusions and was technically a demon. And with everything Mara’s learned over the years about demons, be kind but be clever. The cat that was named “grinny” just kept drinking, not paying any mind to her.

Mara remembered something else from the web and decided to ask out loud. “What is the under realm?”

Grinny stopped and looked at Mara with a tilt of his head, but then returned to grin and stood up on his two hind legs. It began to..dance? No, more like skip in place. Oh god, Mara was always terrible at charades.

“U-uh, skip?” Mara questioned, getting a head shake from the cat and began jumping on his fours. “Um, down? Under?”

Grinny nodded and spun before sitting down. Mara couldn’t help but chuckle and nod. “Ok so I guess the name speaks for itself..but why are you here?”

For a second Grinny seemed to be thinking about it but then suddenly looked to the forest and hiss, running towards the neighborhood. Another thing Mara knew, if animals were acting weird, you should follow the animals. However it was late and Mara just locked the door and left the bowl out if Grinny came back. She left the sensor lights on and went back upstairs to relax again.

She waited until midnight before fully relaxing and feeling safe, but then everything hit her like a train. She met and talked to a real creepypasta, there’s no way that was a dream. But what the hell was it doing here? She wanted to look up more of the creepypasta’s but decided it was best if she slept and she could look it up in the morning. Mara knew anyone would think her crazy, that’s what most people would think if someone said they saw a fictional character or fantasy animal.

Mara was a logical girl, but open minded as well. She honestly didn’t give a damn anymore about the chance of this all being a coincidence or all in her head. This was real and the Creepypasta’s were either just creating illusions or stalking her. Either way, she was going to find out.


	4. Just Five More Minutes

(Note: I just went back into my first three chapters and did some edits, I recommend reading them again but it’s not a dire thing.)

The next morning, June 13th, felt like Mara’s usual regime, although now having some more knowledge about the Creepypasta’s she decided to consult Sam about it. As she entered the club, she instantly went behind the counter to get herself a drink, and Sam just watched in amusement.

“So, all rested up?” He asked, watching Mara stir up her shirley temple.

Mara took a gulp of the cherry drink before looking at him. “I think I know who’s after me.”

After a long explanation it was already 11:45 in the morning, Sam giving her a puzzled look as she explained the possibilities of Creepypasta’s or Alyssa’s suggestions of it just being a coincidence. 

“So you think these story characters are trying to kill you rather than Alyssa’s plausible explanation of it being a weirdo on the streets.”

“Sam, he wasn’t drunk, he was too coordinated to be high, he was smart to cover his tracks. The guy is a genius. And the descriptions match those of this Creepypasta called Masky.” Mara finished, taking the last gulp of her drink.

“Well what if it’s just a copycat then?” Sam suggested.

Mara had thought of that, it could be some obsessed fan just like the girls from the Slender case. But after last night she wasn’t sure anymore. “Maybe..it’s safe to say though he probably won’t be back.”

“How are you so sure?” Sam asked, a little worried.

“Because, in most of the stories he finishes off the people. If he fails he runs away.” Mara explained.

“But that’s based off the character, this guy could be more determined. Mara, I think it’s best you go home for a bit.” 

“Sam, I can’t. If I want to be a real adult I need to face this head on.” Mara huffed, leaning on the counter.

Sam put his hand on her shoulder, making her look at him. “Mara, going to your family doesn’t show you’re not mature. They know you’re wildly independent, so it doesn’t hurt to ask for help.”

Mara saw the pleading look in his eyes, she knew he was right but damn stubbornness in her blood refused the thought of going to her parents. “I’ll think about it ok?”

Sam sighed but nodded, moving his hand off. “If nothing else, stop by Alyssa’s and my place.”

Mara merely nodded her head as he walked off to clean off the tables while she continued to clean off the counters. She didn’t feel like bringing up Grinny just yet, she didn’t want to worry anyone more than they already do. But If the Creepypasta’s were so brave, or crazy, alive or not, they’d have to come into the club to get her.

Meanwhile in the woods, Hoodie walked alongside with Heartful Lou, giving him the explanation of what’s been happening. “So..that’s the jist of it.” Hoodie finished, walking with Lou to the border of their forest.

“And..I just have to kidnap her?” Lou asked, his masked face turning to Hoodie, and his voice quiet.

“That’s the plan, but don’t kill her. Also if you need to, escape and then tell us what happened.” Hoodie briefed and stopped at the edge of the forest. “Best of luck.”

Lou shrugged and pulled his hood over his head, walking past the neighboring houses as he started heading for the club. He was already reminded three times not to kill her, but he really didn’t see a point. By the sound of it though she’s tough, maybe he’d be able to brawl with her another day if this goes well.

The walk was long and by the time he arrived it was 6:46, and the club was in full swing. Now he just had to find her, which was going to be annoying. According to Masky she was dressed like a bartender, so naturally that’s the first place to look. Lou slowly pushed through the crowd of people dancing and slipped past a few of the tables before he got to the bar. He looked around first, spotting four bartenders, but his eyes instantly caught on Mara, the purple eyes were easiest to see with the bar table lighting.

He sat down in the closest seat to her, and cleared his throat. “miss?” 

Over the years, Mara’s hearing actually grew better rather than worsen, hearing a soft call for her she turned around and nearly dropped the glass in her hand. The man at the bar was wearing a red hoodie, but strangely it looked a mix of orange as well, almost looked like an apricot or rust coloring. His mask though, it was white with a large heart practically covering the whole mask. Don’t be intimidated, Mara thought.

“License.” Mara shook off the shock and leaned on the counter.

Lou took out a fake ID that the boys swiped for him, and Mara quickly looked it over. She raised a brow at him and asked. “I’ll need your mask off.”

“A little personal don’t you think?” Lou chuckled at her, not wanting to blow this mission already.

“If you don’t want people getting personal you shouldn’t be in a nightclub.” Mara smirked, throwing his card back onto the counter. “A nightclub is a bad place for hiding.”

“It’s also a bad place for love.” Lou agreed, taking the card back. Well he might not be getting a drink but that wasn’t the point of this anyways.

“Got that right. So, anything I can get you?” Mara asked. “Without alcohol?”

“Recommend anything?” Lou asked, watching Mara carefully. She seemed pretty average, but it did look like she took care of herself in matters of strength. But she looked a little thin.

Mara gave a soft laugh. “I like shirley temples, but the cherry flavor and sweetness isn’t to everyone’s taste.”

“I’ll try it.” Lou shrugged. He took into account of her surprised look and watched her make the drink, a little slow as she poured the cherry flavoring due to the bandage on her hand. As she slid him the drink, he slipped his mask up to the side of his head.

Mara watched him, a little surprised by his features. If he was the same guy from last night then he was being more confident in messing with her. Although the guy from last night had a more gruff voice then this guy. His voice was more smoky, but quiet, his caramel colored hair was neatly brushed, and his eyes a bright honey color. However, he had a little purple under his eyes from lack of sleep and his hands were wearing black gloves.

Lou took quick notice that she was observing him, but strangely didn’t mind it as much. Looking up he gave a small smile. “Need something miss?”

Mara smiled softly, noticing his lips were also full, and hell she thought he was cute. “No, but have we met before?”

She watched carefully as his eyes darted to the right. “Not that I know of, I certainly never met you.”

Damn, not the same person. If he looked to the left that means he was fragmenting something. Either that or he’s done this psychological test before. Before she could think of something else to say he pointed at her hand.

“What happened to you?”

This was the time to test something else. Mara leaned on the counter as he took a drink from his glass, staring at him with complete seriousness. “Would you believe me if I said a creepypasta did this?”

Lou was near to snapping her neck but relaxed and huffed. “Creepypasta’s? They’re just stories.”

“Well someone similar to the creepypasta called Masky may have attacked me.” Mara said, watching his eyes but was disappointed when they refused to look away from hers. “Then again, it could have been a copycat.”

“Eh, people do stupid shit.” Lou shrugged, sitting back as Mara leaned back and crossed her arms. “I mean, everything humans make is to destroy.”

Mara smirked. “That’s a line from “The Fifth Element.”

“But it’s true.” Lou grinned back.

“So fucking true..” Mara nodded, then hearing a shout for another drink she looked at the man with a small smile. “Be right back.”

He nodded and watched as she went to help the other customers. Lou was honestly enjoying her, despite trying to get information out of him. But she didn’t seem to recognize him so maybe she doesn’t know the creepypasta’s that well yet. He’d keep talking with her until she was alone and then take her to the mansion. Mara on the other hand was enjoying her conversation with the strange man, but still had a feeling there was something wrong about him. After all, no one wears a mask for no reason.

As Mara’s shift pushed on, she would help the customers and keep talking to the man, who explained himself to be Lou. Although he wasn’t lying about his name, that ID was clearly fake and kept refusing to give him anything else. Mara couldn’t pin who he was to her Creepypasta studies, he may not have been a popular one or she never got to him. It did cross her mind that she could just be over thinking it, but this was all too weird. She was currently talking with him again, not realizing what a romance nut he was.

“You have to admit Moulin Rouge is good.” He said, having his mask now back to its spot.

“Yeah it’s good but it feels to..fake, like not something that would really happen.” Mara shrugged, having her own shirley temple.

“It’s a movie Mara, they’re all fake. Unless you want to take the Titanic into this picture.” Lou chuckled lightly.

“Ugh no, too dramatic. I guess I just have specific tastes in what I watch.” Mara smiled.

“Mara! You’re off in a couple minutes!” Annie, another bartender called.

“Got it!” Mara called back before looking at the clock on the wall. “Damn already?”

“Perhaps I could close my tab and walk you out?” Lou suggested, pushing a twenty to her.

Mara smiled and started to count the change while answering. “I don’t think so, sorry but i’m not looking for a night stand or anything.”

“I wasn’t going to ask for that.” Lou said, watching her. “I was just wanting to walk you home so we could talk more. Even just for a couple minutes?”

Mara couldn’t help but laugh. “Said every gamer in history. Just five minutes mom!”

Lou was a gamer in his past life, playing Halo and Call of duty,so he understood the joke very well. Also because of seeing Ben, he smirked as he remembered Ben literally tearing a cushion while being dragged from the couch on a live match before Hoodie took him to the border. “Then..can I ask for five more minutes?”

Mara honestly hated it, the feeling that she wanted to say yes, but then her mind telling her she’ll regret it. She couldn’t trust this stranger, she didn’t trust him at all, and yet something said that he wasn’t going to hurt her. Even her gut feeling was gone now.

“Five more.” Mara replied softly. “Wait for me by the front door.”

Lou nodded and took his change, standing up while Mara went over to Sam to grab her purse. He whistled and nudged his elbow into her side. “Well Mara that’s the first time I’ve seen you hold a conversation with a guy without throttling his neck.”

“Oh shush Sam. He just might be a new friend. You may like him, he’s a romance freak.” Mara huffed, going to the stairs that lead to the dressing room to change.

Lou waited patiently, only looking over when he heard the sound of heels clicking getting closer to him. As she got close he was surprised by the girl wearing jean shorts, a black tank top with the words “Left 4 dead” in bloody words, and wearing calf-high black boots. He offered his arm to her but she only smirked and passed him.

“Your five minutes passed.”

Lou couldn’t help but smirk and follow her. “But my five minutes weren’t with you.” 

They walked quietly together, Mara slowly starting to feel uncomfortable as she started walking home. Lou thought for a moment, the streets still had a lot of people wandering around or driving passed them, he cleared his throat to catch Mara’s attention.

“So, you were talking about creepypasta’s. What would you do if you really met one?” Lou asked.

The questioned surprised Mara but she thought carefully. “It depends..if they attack me I would defend myself. But if we have a civil conversation..I guess I would try to understand them.”

“Why is that?” Lou asked, almost angered by the answer. “They’re just monsters according to everyone.”

“But that’s life isn't it? People bring down others to make themselves feel better? They blame everything but themselves?” Mara pointed out, her eyes reflecting hurt and anger.

Lou was surprised by the emotion from her voice too, from kind and playful to suddenly bitter and ruthless. “And..if they listen?”

“I hope that I can help them.” Mara answered almost immediately. “It’s not fair how they were treated, granted I’ve only read a few stories, but if the first few were like that...i’m sure they all don’t deserve the cards that fate has given them.”

Now he could see why Slender wanted her. Lou thought, she was willing to understand everyone, despite probably everyone else telling her otherwise. He wanted to try something.

“Mara, will you go with me to the forest?”

Mara’s eyes widened as she looked to him. “What?”

“The forest, do you want to go with me?”

Mara felt incredibly uncomfortable, everyone in this city knew never to go into the forest, not only was it filled with wolves and other dangerous animals, many people had gone missing and their bodies never discovered. Sure she’s always felt curious about them, but never dumb enough to go there. But this stranger, who wanted to stay with her, and wore a mask, just bluntly asked her to sacrifice her life to the forest. 

Every fiber of her being was shouting danger, and she knew it would be a dumb move. However, this means her suspicions were true, he must know something about her or her situation. Her hand subconsciously gripped at her flashlight that was in her pocket as she asked softly.

“Why would you ask me?” Mara asked, stopping her movements altogether, but quickly gazing over him for any weapons.

“You should see something, it may answer your questions.” Lou responded, stopping as well to look at her.

“And what if I don’t trust you?” Mara asked immediately, only to be surprised by Lou offering his hand to her.

“You can take the risk or lose the chance, it’s up to you.” He said and although she couldn’t see his features, she knew he was being serious.

She had a few options, one being walking away, but that could result in an attack from him or more questions rather than answers. She could follow, but have the risk of getting hurt or even killed. She could follow behind him and just leave when she gets too uncomfortable, but then he might attack her. In all scenarios, she either had to follow him and hope for the best or risk being injured or killed.

Slowly, she set her injured hand on his, making his hand flinch a little at the touch. But she only smiled at him. “Only for a few minutes more ok?”

Lou found this funny, but knows she was taking this seriously. He nodded, saying nothing as he began to lead her to the woods. While walking Mara found the stares of other people unnerving, to try and prevent giving them the wrong idea she stuffed their intertwined hands into his hoodie pocket. This caused him to jolt a little and look at her, but she only motioned with her eyes to the other people, making him realize that it did look a little odd with a masked man holding a woman’s hand. Plus them not saying anything to each other, that could give a bad impression to people.

As they reached the border of the woods, Mara felt her heart stop and her head began to ache. She knew this place, not only by what people have told her, but she felt like she actually knew this place personally. Lou gently tugged her along when her feet froze, and she stumbled after him. Her hand gripped tighter on Lou’s hand, ignoring the sting from her wound, and her body chilled from the night. The fog curled around them and the trees above seemed to loom over them, seemingly to block out any light. She began to take in deep breaths to calm down, and the cold air was welcomed to her burning lungs.

Her head felt faint, her vision getting blurred as she walked, unintentionally slowing down. Lou caught on when he felt her lagging behind, and looked at her. He took a look at her symptoms but none of them mirrored Slender or Zalgo’s presence. “Mara? Are you alright?”

“M-my head..it hurts..” Mara gasped out, her knees finally giving out beneath her.

Lou grabbed her quickly, helping her to the ground and looking over her. “What does it feel like? Can you describe it?”

“Like...I’ve been here before..”She mumbled out before her eyes shut and Lou quickly stood, he looped his arms under her knees and behind her back. He began sprinting to the mansion, thankful he didn’t have to knock her out to get her there.

When Mara awoke she was seeing a dark ceiling, her vision was a little fuzzed, like she had slept for hours. She had to admit, a peaceful sleep, but she shot up when she remembered that she was with Lou before she fainted. Mara took in her surroundings, seeing the room which was pretty plain, simple grey sheets on the bed and a dresser in the side of the room. A single mirror was in place next to the dresser and Mara felt slightly unnerved. The room was plain, dark, and the window was covered most of the way by a thick velvet curtain.

Slowly she got up, trying her best not to make a sound, but as the wood creaked below her she froze and waited. Mara felt around her body, thankful that A) she wasn’t injured, B) her clothes were still on, and C) she grabbed her flashlight from her pocket. Screw her purse, wherever that ended up, she needed to leave. Turning on the light, the rooms color showed to have black wallpaper and she looked to the wooden door, turning the golden knob slowly. Mara dimmed the light down and looked down the halls, it was deathly quiet and she felt a shiver run down her spine.

Thankfully as she walked down the hall on her left, there were a few lights on the walls that were on, and she turned off her flashlight. The lights were rather fancy, being small electric lamps that somehow complimented the old fashioned walls. Mara couldn’t help but feel enchanted by the walls which kept a clean dark wood color but every door down the hall seemed to have a different name or style to them. One door she passed had a small name tag on it with the name Sally, and the tag was decorated in childish flowers.

Mara felt her skin crawl as she heard voices below her, and as she walked down a grand staircase, she was almost starting to piece together that she was in a mansion. The staircase was wide enough that four to five people could fit across it in a line, and above her as the ceiling opened more was a large metal chandelier that was clearly electrical. She flinched as she heard a crash downstairs followed by laughter. Cautiously, staying near the rails of the staircase, and glanced around the corner as the staircase fanned out. 

In the left room she was looking in, there was a large living space with a fireplace and a large sitting area. It was cozy looking with the fireplace being stone and the large arched windows were shown proudly with the dark velvet curtains drawn back. She continued to crouch as she looked to the right side, holding a gasp as she saw another room but it had been set up of couches and chairs facing towards a TV with a large collection of movies and games on the shelves. But still not seeing anyone she stood up carefully, moving towards the movie room. 

It amazed her that this mansion looked so old, yet so advanced and well kept. The design looked to be 1900’s based on the more square framing with the dark oak wood based doors and walls. And the window style seemed to 1900’s too, the only parts that didn’t seem so old were the electronics and the furniture. She heard some yells down the way and froze, looking back at the grand entrance, it would be easy for her to leave but did she want to?

“Who the hell are you?” A voice called, making Mara gasp and turn around, placing a hand over her chest as a way to try and calm herself down.

“I-i’m sorry i was just leaving!” Mara squeaked out and finally took in the man’s appearance that was in front of her.

He had ghostly pale skin, and his eyes all white on a black back, with black ooze going down his cheeks. He wore a blue shirt that was tattered at the sleeves and wore black pants and converse, with black fingerless gloves. On his silver haired head he had a black beanie on, and around his waist was a large strap of what looked liked needles lining the pockets. His eyes widened a little as he looked over Mara.

“You’re a hu-!” he was about to exclaim but Mara quickly pulled the beanie over his face before shoving him to the wall and running down the hall to the living room. 

Mara began looking around for a hiding spot but this damn mansion had to be open concept! She slipped at one moment on the wooden floor, barely catching herself before looking down at a red liquid on the floor. In front of her a large husky looking dog was lying in a dog bed with a large slab of meat, but as it looked up the red and black fur made her shake. What’s worse was the smile that went along with it, it made Mara scream as she ran the other way. The dog barked after her as she grabbed the handle of the main door and before she could open it, it shoved her back as someone opened it from the other side. 

Mara fell to the floor, groaning slightly as she landed on her ass, and looking up she felt her heart stop. A man with grey skin and glowing yellow eyes looked at her with surprise other than his eyes, the rest of him was greys and blacks. His shoes, pants, jacket, and gloves were black while his beanie and shirt was grey. He had black hair and grinned at her with a yellow smile. 

“Well well now who do we have here?”

Mara felt like she was in a dream, having nothing to calm herself down she quickly flashed her flashlight in his face, making him reel back enough for her to get up and run up the stairs with him cursing behind her. She must’ve been having a really bad day when two hands grabbed her shoulders and she looked up to see a black and white clown, the one she remembered being called Laughing Jack. She struggled in his grasp but he only cackled, gripping her arms in almost a painful manner.

“Easy Mara~ we’ve been waiting for you to wake up~” He laughed, walking downstairs, and Mara had no choice but to follow. “You ok Puppeteer?”

“I’ll be alright, just surprised me.” the man called puppeteer said, looking at Laughing Jack with orange eyes and a glare towards Mara.

“Sorry guys, I didn’t grab her in time before she started freaking out.” The boy with the pale complexion said, walking over with the smiling dog on a leash.

“It’s all good Nick~ I’ll take care of it from here.” the clown chuckled, making Mara close to just collapsing there.

But he forced her to walk through the living room and head further into the mansion until he turned the corner into a large dining room filled with yelling and chattering people. Mara was quick to recognize a few of them as Ben Drowned, Jeff the killer, the Smiling man, and a few others. But she noticed several Slender-look alikes at the end of the table, and one stood up, the original Slenderman. The table went silent as they noticed Slender walking closer to Mara.

Mara felt herself frozen, looking at the pale faceless man that walked closer. She actually backed further into the clown behind her. She could feel her heart racing as he bent down to her height. And without seeing movement from his face at all, he said, almost in an echo in her mind.

“Are you Mara Pierce?”

Mara started breathing through her mouth, stunned by the communication, but nodded slowly. The faceless man then backed away a little, asking. “Do you know who we are?”

Mara took a quick glance at the table of creepypasta’s and then to Slender before sputtering out. “C-creepy-p-pasta’s..b-but i only know a f-few of you.”

“Very good..don’t worry, you’ll learn about us more. But there’s something I need to see.” He said telepathically.

He moved aside as Jeff the Killer stepped closer. She had to admit, the eyelids that were missing made him look scary, and the carved smile was not very appealing, but otherwise he looked like how the story described him. He stared at her, seemingly lost, and even with his carved smile his lips were tilted into a frown. Jeff actually looked sad?

“Do you know who I am?” Jeff practically demanded an answer as soon as he spoke, his gruff voice making her jolt.

“Jeff the killer..” Mara muttered, and he nodded.

“Do..you remember anything about me? Meeting me in the alley?” He asked, almost sounding worried about the answer she’d give.

Mara thought carefully but frowned, shaking her head. This made him yell at her with pure anger. “On Thanksgiving! In the fucking alleyway by 7/11! You were a god damned orphan!”

Mara’s body began to shake, and she dug her heels into the ground in an attempt to move back as Jeff brought himself a step closer. “I’m sorry I don’t know!” She snapped back. “I-i can’t remember-”

Mara groaned in pain, her head throbbing as she looked away from Jeff. Slender felt the stress level and grabbed Jeff’s shoulder, pulling him back. “Jeff enough. She’s probably suffered some head trauma in the past.”

Jeff let out a growl and smacked Slender’s hand off, storming off. Mara took slow deep breaths as she slowly looked up to Jeff’s retreating figure. She felt a bit of pity on him for not remembering whatever he knew. She looked at Slender and asked, surprising most of the CP’s in the room.

“Have I met you guys before?”

Jeff actually turned to look at her, but Ben was the first to speak. “You really don’t remember us do you?”

Mara glanced at Ben, and while some of the CP’s looked confused, Ben and Jeff seemed to be the most affected and upset by this. Slowly she shook her head. “No I’m sorry..I..maybe I just can’t remember-”

“It’s alright Mara, we will discuss it later. For now, there are more important things to talk about.” Slender interrupted her, and LJ let go of her arms for Slender to lightly push Mara out of the room.

Mara tried to stay ahead of him to avoid him having the trouble of pushing her along. She had to be redirected at times as they walked down the halls, and reached a door near the kitchen. At first Mara believed it to be a closet but when Slender opened the door she was surprised by a full office/bedroom. The room was just mainly black, black wallpaper, dark oak furniture, and only a couple lamps, which he turned on upon entering. On one side of the room there was another door, but she was easily moved to one of the chairs in front of a desk. Slender sat in the main chair and sat up tall, and even with no face she could tell he was staring at her.

“Why am I here?” Mara muttered.

“Because..” Slender began before letting out a mental sigh and leaned forward, resting his chin on his intertwined fist. “Our way of life is dying.


	5. Here's Your First Mission

“Wait, dying? But aren’t you guys already..dead?” Mara asked awkwardly, her shock now fading to confusion.

“Technically yes, but I’m talking about the Creepypasta lives as a whole.” Slender elaborated. “You see, there is the over realm, which holds the councils and powerful CP’s that hold even greater powers than humans.”

“Like gods?” Mara asked, tilting her head, Slender only rubbed his forehead.

“In a way..they are the CP gods, but they help create, shape, and change the world around us.”

“Soooo, can they stop global warming?” Mara questioned as an example.

“They can only do that if they destroy the humans. The council essentially see us as toys and they create these toys to see how they’d interact with each other. They created the CP’s to keep chaos in the mix, but the humans are more chaotic than us.” Slender explained further.

“Alright.. I understand why that is now, but if they supposedly created life why didn’t they do a..good job of it?”

“They did not create life, they manipulate it. Have you seen Annabelle?” Slender asked suddenly.

“The possessed doll? Hell yes! It gave me nightmares!” Mara exclaimed, actually making Slender lean back.

“Well that’s what they are, demons and beings that can manipulate people’s actions. Their goal in life is simply to play and see the results if they push down one piece.”

“Ok, I get it. So human’s still are in charge of what they do, but the council can introduce something to the humans.”

“Correct.” Slender said, actually proud how fast she caught on. “They were created years later after the humans, by a relic.”

“A relic? Like some type of philosopher stone thing from Full Metal Alchemist?” Mara asked, sitting back in her seat.

“Well..I don’t know what that is, but yes a stone for example. Throughout history, humans have collected these relics in forms of royal jewels or rare treasures, and some of them actually have nothing to do with human history.” Slender tried to explain, but seeing Mara’s expression he knew this would be tough.

“Ok? But why me specifically? Why do I tie into this?” Mara asked, her head beginning to hurt from all this talk and she hoped that tomorrow she’d wake up in her bed.

“Because you are one of the few that still believe in us.” Slender began, his voice surprisingly gentle. “For the last few years I have done nothing but look through relics of the creepypasta archives. All of them showing alternate universes, past lives, and magic beyond understanding. They were all withheld with the humans, but lord Zalgo took most of them by the council’s orders. I was only able to look into these relics due to the council’s permission, what I found is that all of them have one thing in common, destruction of ourselves.”

“Well that sounds...normal?” Mara spoke. “I mean, humans destroying themselves and the environment. End of the world? Day After Tomorrow? Zombieland?”

“It’s more serious than that..The creepypastas in almost all the universes is dying out in different lives or in the past lives. Mara, I need to make humans more aware of us. Even if we don’t die physically if we are forgotten the councils will get rid of us all and wait for the next life to repeat before creating ourselves again.” Slender spoke almost too fast in her head, she actually had to think about it.

“W-wait these creators will just kill you all off?! Just because the humans don’t believe in you guys? What kind of bullshit excuse is that!?” Mara shouted, slamming her hands on the desk.

“If humans don’t believe in us then they see no reason to keep us alive.” Slender sighed. “It’s how things always have gone apparently, but we CP’s don’t remember anything from our past lives or alternate lives. If the humans could believe in us again the council will consider keeping us alive and not wait for the human race to die out.”

Mara rested her head back against the chair, trying to process all that’s been told to her. It was painful for her head. She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. “So...long story short. If I make the humans believe in you guys, the council will spare you from destroying you guys. And then afterwards they’ll keep life going?”

“Essentially. Although life depends on the humans, not the council.” Slender nodded.

“Alright...does anyone in this family know about this?” Mara sat up, but rested her head on her open palm, while the elbow dug into the arm of the chair.

“No..only Zalgo, myself, the council, and G.R.E.A knows.” Slender replied. “You’ll meet them eventually.”

“Joy..” Mara mumbled. “Why can’t you guys just show yourselves to the humans?”

“Because they would merely think of us as cosplayers, and even with our killings around the world, they believe it’s copycats or other criminals.” Slender sighed. “Plus, the boys and girls slowly have gotten lazier.”

Mara thought for a moment and sighed. “If I'm..really the only one then I'll do it..”

“Thank you Mara..now, we’ll discuss plans in the morning, but I'm sure you’d like to sleep now.” Slender said, standing up.

“Yes please..can someone take me home?” Mara asked. “Also, have you seen my purse?”

“Ah yes of course.” Slender nodded, walking out of his room with Mara following. Getting to the main entrance there was a golden coat rack and he took Mara’s purse off a hook and handed it to her. “I will send a CP in the morning to fetch you.”

“Alright, so..how do I get home?” Mara turned to him, putting her purse around her arm and gasped as his hand grabbed her arm tightly.

A fog and static seemed to cross her vision as she blinked, looking around to see her bedroom. “Y-you just tele-”

“Yes I can teleport.” Slender groaned, having to bend down due to the lower ceiling. “Now get some rest, I'll send someone in the morning.”

Mara only nodded as he vanished, and she staggered to her bed, flopping down and looking at her clock. “Fucking 2 am fantastic..” She groaned into her pillow before giving herself into sleep, letting her warm bed embrace her.

As her alarm clock woke her at ‘10am Thursday, June 14th’, she grumpily slammed her hand on the button, growling into her pillow. She kept her head in the pillow, but jolted up when she felt a hand on her back. Mara yelped and tumbled away from the hand, falling off the bed in the process, looking around frantically for who it was. Looking up she saw a hooded man, who she remembered to be Hoodie from the stories she heard.

“Sorry miss, didn’t mean to frighten you.” Hoodie spoke, walking over and lending a hand to Mara.

“I-it’s alright..” Mara stuttered, taking his hand and clearing her throat from her horse voice.

“Slender assumed you’d like someone more..normal looking to grab you.” Hoodie added as Mara started walking to her bathroom.

“Well, no offense, but ask him to stop sending masked people.” Mara sighed. “The first one nearly killed me and the second one actually flirted with me.”

Hoodie seemed confused and watched Mara as she splashed water onto her face. “wait..Heartful Lou..flirted?”

“Eh maybe he didn’t.” Mara shrugged, wiping her face off with a towel. “It’s hard to tell now.”

“Wow..it’s just Heartful Lou kills anyone that he thinks are cheating bastards or sluts that play with your heart.” Hoodie explained, leaning on the wall.

“Oh..” Mara could only manage as she started to get her flat iron ready to fix her messy hair. “Hey Hoodie, could you grab me some shorts, a t-shirt, and my tennis shoes?”

“Just..anything under that category?” Hoodie asked, almost unsure.

“Yes, I don’t have that much clothes.” Mara answered, glancing back and slowly moving the door closed. “Oh a new bra and panties would be nice too.”

Hoodie was about to object but Mara closed the door and began undressing. She honestly didn’t care what he’d find in her room, but she needed a change of clothes.

Hoodie was starting to look through her closet and groaned when he heard the shower start. “Great..good thing Slender didn’t have a specific time to be there.”

He began to open up one of the drawers, but heard footsteps and looked over to see Masky. “You know Hoodie in this situation I say your desperate.”

“Oh ha ha, She asked me to grab her clothes. Although I have no idea what to grab.” Hoodie grumbled as he opened the lower drawer of the dresser, almost slamming it shut as he saw the more “lady garments”. Masky merely chuckled and walked over, grabbing some of the garments for Hoodie.

“I thought you snooped through ladies stuff before? You did take a lot of jewelry for our vacation to Hawaii.” Masky spoke, opening the closet and grabbing a pair of shorts.

Hoodie huffed. “I stole only their jewelry, just because I stole from hundreds of girls rooms, I refused to look through their closet.”

“I know Hoodie, damn take a joke.” Masky said as Hoodie grabbed a t-shirt from the closet.

“I’m well aware you are, I just like to give my honest answers.” Hoodie smirked under the mask, giving Masky an affectionate nudge.

“You’re such a smart ass.” Masky grumbled, but lightly nudged Hoodie’s head with his own.

In return the hooded man huffed and grabbed a pair of tennis shoes that were pressed off to the side. “You know she’ll kill you when she realizes you attacked her.”

“She’s still mortal-”

“Masky!”

“Fine! I’ll apologize!” Masky snapped, leaving the room. Hoodie followed, shaking his head for a moment at Masky’s implied pain towards Mara.

Mara had only taken about 7 minutes in the shower, when she heard a knock at the door she wrapped a towel around herself and cracked open the door, shivering from the cold. A gloved hand pushed her folded clothes through with the tennis shoes on top of the small bundle. “Anything else princess?”

Mara jolted, taking the clothes and setting them on the counter. She knew that voice..”just go on downstairs, help yourself to anything.”

“Huh, doesn’t sound too bad. Wonder if she has beer.”

“Masky she works at a bar, I think beer is the last thing she’d have here.”

Masky..the fucking guy that attacked her? Oh she’ll enjoy meeting him again. Mara quickly got dressed and fixed up her hair, grabbing her purse from her room before walking downstairs, both looking through her kitchen. Hoodie glanced over and closed her fridge door. “Mara, you barely have anything in here.”

“Yeah why is it gluten free shit?! There’s no even dairy stuff!” Masky scoffed from the pantry.

Mara glared at Hoodie for a moment before going to Masky and delivering a quick punch to his side, making him pull away from the pantry with a groan. “The fuck was that for?!”

“For sending me to the hospital you jackass!”

“How was I supposed to know you were the girl we’d been searching for?!”

“Enough you two!” Hoodie shouted over us, pushing us away from each other. “Now, Masky..”

Masky sighed and looked at Mara, glaring through his mask. “I’m sorry I hurt you. I just thought you were a stranger.”

Mara didn’t care for his half-assed apology, but it’s probably all she would get from him. She sighed and nodded. “It’s fine. Now, I have to go see Slender?”

“Right, now hold on, I normally don’t do teleports as much.” Hoodie cautioned as he put a hand on Mara’s shoulder.

The same fuzziness and static that had brought her home the night before, reappeared in her vision as she blinked to notice Slender’s office. She looked to Hoodie, who clapped off his gloved hands as if he was wiping off dust, before he turned to her. “Now stay here, slender will come in soon. Normally all the CP’s are asleep.”

“Asleep? Why’s that?” Mara asked, tilting her head.

“Most of them are nocturnal.” Hoodie shrugged. “Only a few are up all day, like the proxies. But we take some hours to sleep”

“I see..what’s a proxy?”

“Full of questions huh? A proxy is a servant to Slender, a personal servant. Masky and I for example. We’re our own person but we have to obey Slender.” Hoodie explained, walking to the door.

As he left Mara stood in the room awkwardly, looking for something to do while she waited. Looking over at the door she saw yesterday she walked over to it, slowly opening the door. The room connected to the office wasn’t huge, but it contained a bed and a dresser. On the dresser table laid a few gems, and something drew her towards it. As she stepped closer she barely noticed the faint glow reflecting on her as she picked up an emerald. It was cracked in the middle but otherwise it looked flawlessly polished.

Another jewel caught her eye and she gasped, picking up a large blue sapphire. “The Star of India..but why did..”

Mara recalled what Slender had mentioned last night, that almost all the treasures of the humans were somehow connected to the CP’s universe. She had heard on the news that this was missing but there were no fingerprints left behind at the scene of the crime, nor video evidence. It was truly beautiful, but now she felt ashamed for holding it and set it back in its spot.

“You shouldn’t be here.”

Mara let out a short scream as she turned around fast and panted for her breath, just seeing that it was Slender.

“Don’t do that!”

“You’ll get used to it.” Slender admitted. “Now, I thought Hoodie left you in the office.”

“Slender, sir. I was bored.” Mara explained weakly, only getting a mental sigh from him.

“Alright..come along.” Slender said, lightly pushing Mara out of his room back to the office, closing the door behind them.

“Those were the relics right?” Mara asked, turning to look up at Slender, it was almost painful for her neck.

“Yes, those are the relics I spoke of.”

“Alright..so what am I here for now? Am I going to be a proxy here?” Mara asked, but noticed Slender’s surprise as his figure changed to a serious posture.

“Who told you about that?”

“Eh no one, Hoodie explained it a little, but isn’t that why i’m here?”

“No child, a proxy goes and steals or kills for me, to ensure the safety of the mansion.” Slender answers, taking a seat at his desk.

“Ohh..so what plans did we have to make?” Mara asked, taking the seat she had yesterday.

“Well, we need to discuss how you’re going to prove we exist.” Slender said, interlacing his fingers.

“Ah, well...most people seemed to believe in you guys when the kills were just starting right? Unusual or similar patterns?” Mara questions, getting a nod in reply. “Well what if you just start over? We make the CP’s stop killing for a while to train and when they get back out into the world they just go on a mass murder.”

“Sounds good, but a mass murder spree?” Slender thought to her. “Won't that be too chaotic?”

“That’s what the training is for.” Mara smiled. “You have security cameras, hackers? Then make a list of people who we should kill. Unjust people that bribe courtrooms, lie to save face, and have been to jail an uncountable number of times.”

“You make it sound easy..Even if we could track those people that are worth killing, it would take months, maybe years to do.” Slender sighed.

“Actually..” Mara began. “My father owns his own software company. He specializes in tech and advanced research into technology, but if I can get access to his computer maybe there’s a way to download personal files from everyone around the world.”

“You mean to say your father has access to people’s files?” Slender asked in surprise.

“Slender, everyone has access to files, but big company managers don’t have people stalking through the computers.” Mara pointed out. Most people could use any laptop to access personal files, but they either lacked the skill or they were bugged by security and then arrested.

“I see..you know how to hack?” Slender tilted his head a little.

“Uh..no?” Mara replied sheepishly. “I was hoping you’d have someone that could.”

“I do..so while we all train here, you want someone to go with you and hack your father’s computer. Then what?”

“Once we get profiles on people, we can choose several and send the CP’s out. Surely that will get everyone’s attention.” Mara said confidently.

“Perhaps..but if that’s the case, you’ll be choosing the people to kill.”

“What?! Why?” Mara demanded, not the best move in her book.

“It’s your idea, and you’re probably one of the few sane judges left in the world.” Slender practically sneered.

“Y-you’re serious, handing me a gavel in this?” Mara asked uncertain as she leaned back in her seat.

“Yes, you can truly tell who is to live and die.You see the corruption in humans, you know who deserves mercy.” Slender calmly replied.

Mara felt her pulse quicken as watched Slender, hoping her gawked look would make him change his mind. But after a couple minutes she could see he was dead serious. “A-alright..but since I don’t know the CP’s that well you’ll have to make a training course for them.”

“Of course.” Slender nodded. “One more thing, you offered your parents computer rather quickly, why is that?”

“Because..I know it’s for a good reason?” Mara suggested, but honestly she wasn’t so sure about it.

Slender said nothing and gave a small nod, before grabbing a pen and paper and writing down some numbers. “This is Hoodie and Masky’s number. When you’re ready to see us, call one of them.”

“Thanks..” Mara mumbled a little, taking the paper. “I wish I could remember you guys..it might have made things easier.”

“You will remember us. I guarantee it.” Slender added, patting her head. “Now understand you can not tell anyone about this.”

“I know, it would be a terrible idea if-OH FUCK!” Mara shouted, getting up and looking at her phone. “I have work in an hour!”

Mara dashed out the door but Slender teleported in front of her, a long black tendril grabbing her around the waist and lifting her up. “Child..?”

“Y-yeah?” Mara responded, spooked by the tendril and her height from the ground.

“Do you even know where your home is?”

Mara thought for a moment, realizing she never fully walked here and back home before. “No..”

“I thought so.” Slender nodded, setting her down but moved a hand to her shoulder before teleporting them to her house. “Until we meet again Miss Pierce.”

She waved and he teleported from her home as she ran out of her house to get to work. It was almost all ready to spill out when she entered the club in a sweat. Sam looked at her in surprise and quickly walked over to her, grabbing Mara’s arms and helping her sit at one of the tables.

“Mara are you ok? Did that guy give you any trouble?” Sam asked urgently.

Mara took a couple minutes to catch her breath and shook her head. “N-no he..he wasn’t trouble at all.”

“You've always been so early here, what happened after-?” Sam asked, stopping himself then smirking. “wait..Mara, did you take him home?”

Mara wasn’t sure whether to gag or laugh. More like he took her to the woods and gave her the biggest shock of her life, she probably should’ve checked for grey hairs before coming to work. The other part of this was that he suggested her getting it on with a killer, while the guy was cute, and Sam was clueless, it was still messed up.

“What kind of girl do you take me for?”

“The kind that hasn’t had a boyfriend or lost her virginity in all her 21 years of being alive. And at least in 7 of those years you could’ve had a boyfriend.” Sam chuckled.

Mara had two options, lying that she slept with the guy, or lying that he just dropped her off. But if he only dropped her off that’s no excuse for arriving late. “Alright, we had a one-night stand. Happy?”

Sam busted a gut laughing. “Oh finally! I thought you were going to wait till you were 30!”

“Shut it Sam! I would’ve gotten laid eventually!” just not yet…

“Well, honestly i’m proud of you. You’re too tightly coiled, you never go out anywhere, you’ve never had a romantic relationship, and you’ve gone against your parents in a way.”

Oh shit she didn’t think of that. “Sam you can not tell them!”

“I don’t plan on it, the last thing we need is another murder.” Sam replied seriously, patting her shoulder. “I won’t tell Alyssa either, otherwise she’ll ask for every juicy detail.”

That’s really something she didn’t need either, one way or another Alyssa always gets what she wants. “Thanks Sam. You don’t think this one night stand makes me uh..”

“A slut? No way Mara, come on, give yourself some credit. You’re only a slut if you bed around for popularity or just do it with every guy in sight. And don’t think you’re a whore either, that’s someone that’s paid to do it.” Sam comforted, and honestly Mara did feel better.

“Thanks.” She smiled, as he began to walk to the bar he glanced back with a smirk.

“Was it good though?”

The hell if she knew, she didn’t even know what physical pleasure was like, she’s never done anything to herself. “He was good.”

“Just good?” He asked, raising a brow.

Fuck it, like it matters. “He...was an animal.” Mara said, getting up to go change for work.

Sam let out a roaring laugh as she walked downstairs. She just had to hope that this doesn’t bite her in the ass..


	6. Building Up Friendships?

The work shift thankfully was going by quickly, she told Kenny she could do a full shift till 1 am. He seemed reluctant at first and they both bargained for 12 am on the dot. While she tended to the customers she felt a tap on her shoulder and looked at Sam. “What’s up?”

“I think someone’s here to see you.” Sam said, giving a small smirk. Oh no..

She quickly walked over to where he was pointing and was thankful it was not Lou, but instead it seemed to be another CP judging by the black mask that covered his mouth and nose.He was wearing cut up black pants with black boots, his vest also black and wearing a white shirt that the sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. But from his elbows to his palms he wore black gloves that were fingerless. Weirdly enough he was also wearing a sleeveless black coat with a high collar, how was the guy not melting in here? His raven hair reached to his chest and his left eye was blue while his right eye was green, and above the brow over his right eye was a long scar.

“Can I help you?” Mara asked, but knowing he was a CP it was probably a request to stop by the mansion after work.

“Slender wants to see you.” The guy muttered.

“I figured as much..” Mara sighed and leaned forward to hear him more. “And you are?”

“Nathan the nobody.” He spoke softly, his eyes darting around uneasy.

“Got it I’m Mara.” She replied, noticing how anxious he was. “Not used to crowds?”

Nathan shook his head, his hair waving around a bit. He looked like a frightened kid that lost his mom in the store, it was actually funny to her. But she looked at the time, seeing it was only 11pm, then looked at him. “I get off a midnight, can you wait that long?”

He seemed unhappy by the answer but nodded, and she got him a glass of water to hopefully calm him down. Mara continued her shift, only looking at Nathan once in a while to make sure he wasn’t having a mental breakdown. Sam had asked her about him but she merely shrugged saying he was an old friend in college. Though he didn’t believe it he didn’t push it either, but Mara assured him that he was safe to be around.

By midnight, Mara had quickly changed to help the poor CP out of the environment, and he grabbed her arm like it was a lifeline. She waited until they were away from other people before she moved a hand to his arm. “Are you alright? Do you need to sit?”

“No..no sorry.” He said quickly, not looking at her. “I’m just...there were so many in there I was tempted to kill.”

Mara was a little weary about that. “I’ll talk to Slender, that way you won’t have to pick me up from there. Is that ok?”

His eyes glanced to her, seeming grateful but a tad confused. But he nodded and they continued their walk. The guy still towered over her at a solid 6 foot, but she gently pried his fingers off her arm and held him arm instead. From his right pocket there was a strange purple glow, and without really thinking she pointed to it and asked. “What’s glowing?”

His gaze looked to his pocket and he took out a necklace from it, with a bright purple crystal. “It’s my sisters…”

Clearly he didn’t want to answer anymore so she only nodded, knowing she’ll have to look it up later. “It’s pretty.”

Nathan nodded, slipping it back into his pocket, and as they made their way through the forest, he was silent. It was pretty erie and so Mara cleared her throat and asked. “So, why didn’t Slender chose another person like me? Do you know?”

“Because you’re not an insane fangirl or fanboy.” Nathan shrugged, not even looking at her. “He said that it would take too long to locate someone like you anyways, someone that wouldn’t mentally break or would believe us.”

Mara wasn’t sure if she was supposed to feel honored or like a freak. “Thanks? I guess?”

It was probably another 15 minutes before they got to the damn place and Mara’s feet were dying from standing most of the day. When they entered the house it was alive with people running around, watching tv, talking among themselves. Nathan motioned her to stay put as he walked off, probably to get Slender. She waited patiently but a little awkwardly too, and jolted when she saw the smiling dog come closer to her. Mara quickly backed herself to the door and laughed nervously.

“H-hey pup..”

The dog stood there, still with its wide grin before coming closer and sniffing her. Mara stood frozen in place, unsure what to do but let the dog smell her. Slowly she moved a hand out, palm up, and under the muzzle of the dog to show she was asking permission to pet him. The dog moved away for a second before sniffing her hand and looking up at her, it’s human reactions were actually terrifying. Carefully she moved the hand to its head and gently started to run her hand down his matted fur, which was surprisingly soft. She noticed its tail began to wag and she smiled a little. “Good uh..good pup.”

“That’s Smile Dog.”

Mara nearly jumped from her skin, pulling her hand away and looking at a blue hooded masked man. She thought she’d seen him before and took a guess. “E-eyeless Jack right?”

He nodded and patted Smile Dog’s head. “Yes, and this is Smile Dog, he’s Jeff’s dog.”

Mara nodded a little, unable to really look Eyeless Jack in the sockets she returned to look at Smile Dog and continued petting him. A few silent seconds later Slender teleported over, causing Mara to flinch away for a moment. Slender nodded to EJ before motioning Mara to follow him. He lead her away from the office this time, reaching a door and opening it to show a small conservatory filled with several small flowers, herbs, and just decorative house plants.

“I’m sorry to get you right after work.” Slender apologized, sitting in one of the chairs.

“Oh no it’s fine, but maybe don’t send Nathan. He seemed really paranoid.” Mara replied, sitting as well.

“Probably for the best. Who would you like me to send?” Slender questioned, sitting back.

“Just send Lou, he can at least wait without wanting to kill everyone.” Mara shrugged. “Or anyone else that’s human looking and not going to murder everyone at my work. I’ll also give you my schedule that way the poor guys aren’t waiting for hours.

Slender nodded in agreement. “Jay and Lou might be the two I pick then.”

“Hey, just out of curiosity. Why do you have a conservatory? Don’t get me wrong it’s beautiful, but is there a point?” Mara asked, looking at the clean glass.

“It’s a place for some CPs to get away from the noise, and some CPs actually like being around plants. Like our youngest Sally.” Slender summarized.

“Got it, so what’s the emergency?” Mara asked, finally focusing her gaze on Slender.

“No emergency, but all the CPs have returned and they want to know who you are.” Slender replied.

“W-wait like i have to meet them all!?”

“God no, just a big hello in front of all of them.”

“...Slender are you saying I have to say hello to over 100 of these guys?”

“Precisely. Don’t worry they won’t harm you.”

Mara wasn’t sure, not that she didn’t want to see the creatures that had apparently known her for years, but the fact was that she didn’t know who was a threat and who was a friend. But either way, it would be better if they saw her so they didn’t mistake her as an intruder. Slowly she nodded and Slender stood up.

“Good, come with me. I’ve already got them all gathered outside.”

“Outside?” Mara asked as she stood up.

Slender nodded and started leading Mara through the halls, and as she looked around she asked. “Did everyone just willingly come here?”

“Not all of them, many actually refused my offer to live here, but slowly they began coming due to living on the streets. We’re not common criminals, we don’t get joy from stealing money to buy food and a house. So eventually, the CP’s started seeing the mansion as a way out of the streets.” Slender explained, glancing at Mara.

“Oh..so, has anyone been really adamant?” Mara tilted her head.

“Yes, killers like Jeff and Eyeless Jack were practically forced to live here after a while because they began to attack the CP’s that already lived with me. I think it was a form of dominance.”

Mara huffed. “Males..”

She heard an odd laugh from Slender, she could tell he was amused but the laugh was almost demonic. As he lead her to the yard there was a large crowd of Creepypasta’s standing or sitting around, a few were in groups and chatting with each other. There were so many people and creatures, it actually was almost horrific to see them all in one spot. It’s like a bad film of mixing every killer from any horror movie or game in one place. One person looked directly at Mara, and she racked her brain to remember it was Clockwork. Mara gave a small wave but Clockwork only sneered before turning to the people she was talking to. Mara awkwardly lowered her hand before Slender let out a mental yell to shake everyone’s skulls.

“Everyone Quiet!”

Slowly they all stopped their conversations and looked to Slender and Mara. Seeing all those eyes on her Mara began to shake, some of these CP’s were scarier than she imagined. Especially the creatures like Rake or Smile Dog, or even Sonic Exe.

“This is Mara, she’s going to be stopping by often for our benefit. I can’t explain the details but no one is to hurt her, and we need to get back into training.”

A few groans rose from the crowd but so were confused voices. Mara watched nervously as some of them began to examine her from afar. Slender called to everyone again. “Don’t worry I’ll be planning the training and she is trustworthy. If she needs your assistance you are to give her what she needs.”

Many of them looked to Mara with a glare, this made Mara feel like she was going to die any minute. Her body jolted as Slender moved a hand to her shoulder and muttered to her. “Say something.”

Mara gulped and stepped forward, but stayed a good 5 feet at least from the group of CP’s. She tried to meet their gaze and stuffed her hands in her pockets to avoid fiddling with her fingers. “Hey guys, I’m Mara..um I guess at one point I knew some of you guys. So I’m hoping we can reconnect a little. But the main goal here is to make you guys famous once again.”

Her little spill didn’t wake a reaction from them so she turned and went into the house, her face felt like it was on fire. Mara barely did any public speaking so it was a little unnerving to her. At this point she didn’t feel like staying, quickly marching to the front door. Before she could touch the handle she sighed and remembered her purse was in Slender’s office, quickly turning on her heels to head the other way. The office was in view but so were also the CP’s flooding into the halls, and she didn’t want to embarrass herself further.

Mara’s feet took her upstairs and she slipped into one of the nearest rooms, hoping to god the owner of the room wouldn’t be coming in soon. She listened through the door for a moment, then turned on the lights before looking around in surprise and amazement. The room was filled with windup toys and stuffed animals with bizarre colors and patterns, all of them seeming cuddly. The walls were a velvet color and on the left side was a work desk with sewing supplies for the dolls, and the right side of the room had an oak dresser and bed with black sheets.

“I know this..let’s see..dolls, toys, somewhat dark but still lively in some way.’ Mara huffed to herself as she crossed her arms, trying to remember which cp’s room this might be.

She snapped out of her thoughts when she felt a tug on her pants and looked down. Her eyes widened a little as she saw a white stuffed bunny, with blue and white sleeves for arms, a blue bow tie, and the ears back with rainbow polka dots. Mara couldn’t help but smile and kneel down, petting the bunny. “Hey there, can I help you with something?”

The bunny only stared before taking one of her hands and tugging eagerly to the dresser. Mara stifled a giggle as she followed the bunny and opened the dresser. “What am I supposed to be looking at here?”

She turned to look at the bunny but was yanked into the dresser with something long, but still felt soft to the touch. Mara let out a short scream and the dresser was shut, only a sliver of the light shined in. Her body began to squirm uncomfortably as whatever grabbed her wrapped itself around her legs and waist, pinning her arms to her sides. She tried to wiggle from the creature but it only tightened, like a constrictor would. It was becoming hard to breathe and Mara took in the last big breath she could and screamed loudly.

Her mouth was then covered by the fabric beast, and she started to squirm around again, this time biting into the creature. The fabric tore under her teeth as she pulled and noticed stuffing, instantly fighting back more as she bit into it. It let out a shriek but both hers and the creatures actions were stopped when the closet doors swung open to reveal a rather confused man. Wait! Mara’s read about him or something! He looked so familiar..

“Rex, let the miss go.” He scolded and the fabric serpent let go, letting Mara catch her breath now.

“Sorry he has a tendency to play too rough with strangers.” The man chuckled and helped Mara out of the closet, easily lifting her out by her waist. “My you’re light..”

“T-thank you, i’m sorry for coming here i just..” Mara began to explain but a finger was placed over her lips.

“No need to worry Mara! I understand this is all extremely new.” He smiled, his honey eyes very welcoming.

“Oh well...you’re..you’re..” Mara started thinking hard before snapping her fingers and exclaiming. “Jason the toymaker!”

“You are correct!” Jason smiled and started leading her out of his room. “Now go on, I have much work to do.”

She didn’t get to say anything as he pushed her out and closed the door. Mara wasn’t sure if that meant she upset him or if he actually had work to get done. As she turned around to leave she nearly screamed as she saw a CP with goggles, or Ticci toby that is. He only laughed at her and poked the side of her stomach. “I remember you now!”

“O-oh um great?” Mara commented, and as he kept poking her she just grabbed his finger. He seemed surprised by this but smiled, making his mask lift up to mimic the smile.

“I think I like you more as an adult, you seem fun. Do you like fireworks?” Toby asked eagerly, pulling his hand away from her. Mara opened her mouth to answer but another voice interrupted.

“Don’t even think about it Toby!” A flat shout came out from behind her.

Mara looked behind her and noticed a tall, lanky, pale man with long white hair that trailed down to his shoulders. On the left side of his head on his temple he was bleeding, wearing a simple grey shirt and a black jacket over it. Wearing light gray pants and large brown combat boots, but what startled her was his fingers were long and formed into claws.

“Oh come on Lyet! She needs to feel welcomed here!” Toby twitched a little while speaking as Mara watched between them as they talked.

“Yes, but not by blowing up the mansion!” Lyet argued and moved Toby away from Mara as he looked to her. “Sorry about him, he’s not entirely sane.”

“Hey! I am sane!” Toby huffed. “I just choose when I want to be sane.”

“Come on, let’s just get you back to the proxy’s.” Lyet sighed and walked them downstairs.

Mara wasn’t sure what to think. The CP’s seem to move on fast and maybe that’s because they weren’t keen on talking to her yet..Perhaps it would be best if she left now. She needed to get to bed anyways, but first she needed to find a proxy. Walking downstairs she stopped when she saw a woman walking towards her. “Excuse me!”

The woman looked at Mara, her left eye missing and cuts all over her legs. She only wore a simple white dress and her eye and hair was a lovely color of almost honey gold. “Yes?” She asked politely with a smile.

“Uh, do you happen to know where Masky, Hoodie, or Slender might be?” Mara asked, keeping eye contact with the woman’s good eye.

“Oh yes, actually they’ve been looking for you Mara.” She smiled and held out her hand. “I’m Sadie.”

Mara smiled and shook her hand in return. “Nice to meet you, so where-”

“Over at the office.” Sadie answered before waving and heading upstairs.

Mara walked over to the office, only to bump right into Masky as he walked out of the room. “Oof!”

“There you are! We thought you got in trouble with a cp!” Masky grumbled, clearly annoyed.

“Well sorry, but I just happened to meet a couple of them.” Mara scoffed, he always seemed to have a stick up his ass when she spoke to him.

Masky handed Mara her purse and pushed past her, Hoodie walking out now and looking at Mara. “Ready to go home?”

“yes..Hoodie, why does Masky seem to hate me?” Mara questioned, watching as Masky started talking to another CP.

“He doesn’t really hate you..he just..doesn’t like people that can’t take care of themselves or interrupt his time.” Hoodie explained.

“I see, so he doesn’t get that much time to himself?”

“Yes, most proxy’s devote their time to Slender, and then we relax before sunrise. But cp’s that can’t take care of themselves sometimes take up our free time. Don’t worry you’ll get used to him.” Hoodie placed a hand on her shoulder and in a quick flash she was in her bedroom. “Have a good evening Mara.”

“Night Hoodie.” She replied casually and watched him vanish.

Mara quickly got ready for the night and heard an odd tapping sound at her window, quickly opening the curtains she smiled when she saw Grinny. Opening the window she allowed the cat in. “Hey there Grinny.”

The cat meows and hops onto her bed, curling up and watching Mara with his red eyes and large grin. Yes it was a little creepy but she never could resist animals once she pushed the creepiness aside. She moved her hand to him, palm up, and under his chin. Grinny sniffed her hand before bumping his head against it. Mara giggled and began to pet him, loving the sound of his purring.

“How come you’re here again? Surely it’s not just to sleep here.” Mara asked.

Grinny looked at her, his tail waving happily, but didn’t show any sign of an answer. Mara shrugged and pecked his head before getting into bed, he was asleep at her feet. As she fell asleep Grinny closed his eyes as well, blocking the view of the demon seeing through him.

Zalgo hissed as he gripped the arms of his seat and stood up, closing the red glowing halo that looked through Grinny’s eyes. “He fell asleep too early..”

“Calm down Zalgo, it’s not like she’d confined to a cat about her problems.” Shadow Lurker hummed, looking up from his book.

“Maybe not..but she could be useful to me.” Zalgo said, crossing his arms and pacing around.

“Pray tell, what will she be good for?” Shadow Lurker huffed, standing up.

“A spy if nothing else..but perhaps if we make a deal, she can be my CP forever.” Zalgo replied, glancing to him.

“And you plan of keeping an eye on her? Zalgo, Dr. Locklear will not be so lenient on this. Plus how will other CP’s respond?”

“I’m not worried on Locklear, as for the others I’m sure Lulu and Vailly will like her.”

“And Pyramid head? Ezekiel? The Cat Hunter?” Shadow Lurker kept listing off, watching Zalgo’s hands clench in annoyance.

“Alright! I get your point, but it won’t matter if she converts to being a demon. I just need to figure out how to do it..”

“It’s a stupid idea.” Shadow Lurker said bluntly, sitting back down. “She may be clever, and even if you do find a way for her to be demonic, you’re still forgetting Slender will never let you take her.”

“The council hasn’t set any restrictions on me to go see her.” Zalgo grinned. “And don’t worry, she’ll come to me.”

Shadow Luker sighed and continued with his book, knowing all too well Zalgo would get her here one way or another. Most of the under realm is filled with CP’s that are demonic or master manipulators. Grinny was probably one of the best manipulators, being a close friend of Mrs.P, he keeps an eye on Slender’s family and then separates from her when Zalgo calls him to be his spy.

When the alarm rang in Mara’s room she yawned and looked at her clock, ‘10am, June 15th, Friday’, and slammed her hand on it to stop the noise. As she sat up in bed she couldn’t see Grinny, and looked to the window that was left open.

“He must’ve already left..” She yawned and took out her phone.

Quickly checking her schedule online she saw today it would be from 1pm-11pm, and got up to get ready. Maybe she should make a schedule for when she could and couldn’t go to the mansion, otherwise she wont get any good sleep. Or she could change her wake up time to later. As she got ready, showering and dressing up, her phone let out a ‘ping’ as a sign of a message. Opening it up she felt her body freeze up.

“Hey darling! Just wanted to ask if you had a dress yet for this Sunday!”

“Fuck the dress! Oh shit I don’t have one yet!” Mara cried out and left her room. “I have to find one tomorrow with Alyssa.”

She quickly texted her mother saying she did and then called Alyssa instantly. “Alyssa I still need to go dress hunting.”

“Really Mara? You call me at work to state that?”

“Alyssa please can you help? You know I have no taste.” Mara begged, running downstairs to eat. “Besides I’m off this Saturday and Sunday.”

“Sorry Mara but I work all day tomorrow, and on Sunday Sam and I are going out. You’ll have to hunt on your own.” Alyssa said, but didn’t sound sorry at all.

“Ugh..come on Alyssa. What can I do?” Mara huffed, grabbing a glass of water.

“Why not ask your man~?”

Mara nearly dropped the cup at this and shouted at the phone. “I don’t have a boyfriend Alyssa!”

“Uh-huh, did you seriously think you could hide it Mara? I got the truth out of Sam. A guy with a mask? I thought you were staying away from creeps like that.”

“Look Alyssa he’s just-”

Mara stopped and thought, maybe she could ask for his help. Just as a friend but still..

“Alright i’ll ask him.”

“I’m so proud of you girl! He must be special if you like him!”

“Oh believe me Alyssa, he’s unlike most guys you and I would ever meet.” Mara said, trying to bury any sarcasm in her voice.

They said their goodbyes and Mara texted Masky and Hoodie, not knowing who would reply first, asking to send someone to pick her up after work. She hoped she wasn’t stepping out of line to ask for the CP’s help, much less with dresses.


	7. Planning For The Newbie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Hey guys just a quick note, i'm leaving for Japan to see my sister. I will continue this story, but the next update wont be until September)

The work day sped by fast and when Mara was finished with her shift, she ran outside to greet Hoodie. The proxy teleported to the mansion and instantly as they walked in Mara asked. “Is Lou here?”

“Lou?” Hoodie questioned. “You mean Heartful Lou? Why do you ask?”

“I just need to talk with him. Do you know where I can find him?” Mara wanted to avoid any explanation of what hole she just dug herself in.

“Well I can take a look around but it might take a while.” Hoodie commented. “Oh, also Ben wants to talk to you, he’s up in his room.”

“Ok..” Mara responded, looking up the stairs and then turning to Hoodie sheepishly.

“Second floor, seventh door on the right side.” Hoodie sighed before walking upstairs.

Mara nodded and quickly went up, counting out the doors and stopping at the seventh one. It wasn’t fancy on the outside, no name or different color door, but she knocked and waited. It took a couple of minutes but the door was cracked open and Ben looked up at Mara.

“Ah, Mara come on in.” Ben said in surprise and opened the door for her.

She took in account of the three locks on the door and stepped carefully around some video games that were left out. His room walls were a light cream color with green LED lights lining the ceiling and a green lamp glowed on his black desk. The desk itself was shoved next to his bed with a small wheel stool in front of it and a laptop on it. His bed was a twin bed and with tan sheets but on the wall above his bed was a collection of posters and shelves of video game merchandise.

On the other side of the wall a TV was on the wall across from his bed along with gaming consoles, and next to the TV was a large bookshelf filled with video games and movies. Mara was impressed to say the least, not only that it’s a gamers most wanted room, but moving from a classic mansion into such a modern game room.

“This..this is incredible!” Mara said gleefully and began looking over the video games. “You have so many games I’ve wanted to play!”

Ben was surprised by her excitement and walked over to her. “You game?”

“Unfortunately no..but I've always wanted to.” Mara said wishfully as she smiled at Ben.

“Uh huh..well maybe we can game sometime or I can lend you something.” Ben shrugged, going to his bed and sitting on it, crossing his legs.

Mara looked over hand just happened to notice he was wearing sweats and a baggy green hoodie, rather than the original Link outfit. “You just wake up?”

“Yeah, but I didn’t see a point in changing my clothes yet.” Ben answered as Mara sat on the ground. “Anyways, I heard you needed a hacker. And of course, Slender assigned me, Red, and Silver to help you.”

“I’m sorry who?” Mara tilted her head.

“Glitchy Red, Lost Silver, and yours truly.” Ben answered. “In any case, we have this for you.”

Mara held her hand out as he popped a black USB on her hand, it was pretty small. “Ok so I just plug this in and then bring it back?”

“Better, you can plug it in and leave it in. It will transfer everything when I plug the complimentary one into my computer.” Ben said, holding up another USB that looked identical to the one he handed her.

Mara nodded and wasn’t sure what to say, she kept eye contact but looking at the red irises made her uneasy. Ben seemed to catch on and sighed. “Any questions?”

“No I can do this at the-”

“I meant about the Creepypasta’s or me. You look..spooked.”

“Well..your eyes..does that hurt?” Mara asked, pointing to the blood running down his cheeks.

He touched his cheek before looking at the blood and wiped his hand off on his sweats. “Nah, I mean when I died it was annoying at first but it doesn’t hurt.. And before you ask, no, it doesn’t feel like my eyes are any different than humans, and I don’t see just red.”

Mara nodded slowly and let out an awkward laugh. “Well, I guess you’ve been asked a lot.”

“Pretty much everyone at the mansion would ask me. When we were first brought here we wanted nothing to do with each other..but after a while we, wanted to know how similar we were.” Ben spoke softly.

“I see..I wish it was the same for me. I never really met a lot of people, but those I did meet thought of me strange and well..didn’t want to know me at all.”

Ben was mildly amused by this notion. She seemed like the average girl on the outside, but was just like the CP’s on the inside. Clawing her way to be noticed, trying to relate to anyone she could. “Slender told me you’re going to plug us into your dad’s laptop, why? You hate them?”

“Oh god no!” Mara exclaimed. “I love them dearly, and I don’t want them hurt..but I know that I need to help you guys..”

“I trust you on that. Slender’s never invited a human here, and he wont tell anyone anything.” Ben decided to press it and leaned closer. “But there is something, some reason you want to use their computer. Isn’t there?”

Mara thought carefully, maybe there was another reason. Thinking back as far as she could, without giving herself too much of a strain on her brain, she slowly said. “I...want justice..I want the truth.”

Ben said nothing and leaned back. “Look, it’s not really my business, that alone is enough of an answer. But if you want to consult someone I recommend Dr.Smiley or maybe Slender’s brother Splendor.”

“Dr.Smiley? I don’t recall him. But Splendor is the super happy version of Slender right?”

“He’s like an uncle, but if someone hurts his family he gets pretty scary.” Ben admits and lays down, grabbing his DS off the table.

Mara took a look around his room, now noticing a smaller closet with two drawers on the bottom of it. On his desk were some bags of chips and cookies with an open can of sprite, and his waste bin was filled with other plates and bags. The lucky bastard even had a mini fridge plugged in next to his TV. “You spend a lot of time up here don’t you?”

“Most of the time yeah, unless I need to go and eat or do chores.” Ben answered, not looking up.

Mara nodded and noticed something under the bed, a blue sleeve. She grabbed it and pulled it out to see a large blue hoodie, and the chest of it was slightly covered in blood. “Jesus what happened to your hoodie?”

Ben instantly sat up and ripped it out of Mara’s hands, tucking it behind him. “It’s not mine it’s my friends hoodie.”

Mara watched as Ben averted his eyes but a faint red glow of his cheeks made her smirk. “Oh, and does this friend of yours always leave their stuff behind?”

“Shut it, you don’t know shit.”

“I know when someone’s embarrassed-”

“I am not!”

“And defensive-”

“That’s because-”

“And hiding it like a horny teen.”

Ben had no response this time, only looking away as he flopped onto his side and continued playing his game. Mara laughed, one reason was because she could never tease anyone, and another was how much of a child he was being. “Ben calm down it’s not a bad thing.”

“Most find it disgusting.” He muttered, but loud enough she could hear.

“Why’s that?” Mara questioned, watching as Ben slowly turned around with a sigh.

“Because he’s way older than me..I mean 7 years about, but still i’m just in a kids body and he’s um..well more mature.” Ben huffed.

“So what? you two like each other it’s not a crime.” Mara pointed out. “Wait he?”

“Yes he, I’m bisexual. But even though people knew about us, we can’t be together anymore..” Ben said, looking away momentarily.

Mara moved closer to lean on his bed and smiled at him. “I’m listening.”

Ben didn’t sit up but he did curl up more. “A few years ago a lot of CP couples were really open to everyone about who they were with, but at one point the council found out and forced Slender to tell us to stop. Although Slender supported us, we couldn’t stay together.”

“That’s..so messed up..why is the council like this?” Mara asked.

Ben couldn’t help but relax, Mara was so understanding. “I’m not sure, but Slender said it had to do with them saying monsters and killers can’t be in love, it’s impossible. It’s almost against the rules of a Creepypasta. I guess because we have to be devoted to the family, not just one particular person. The CP’s don’t even have anyone to call a lover now.”

“That’s sad...How long have you two been together?”

“About 3 years.” Ben smiled warmly, like he was remembering all the times he and his lover spent together.

Mara smiled but looked to the door when she heard a knock. “Who is it?”

“It’s Lou, Mara can I come in?”

“Hey asshole it’s my room!” Ben shouted over to the door.

“Oh shut your trap.” Lou said as he walked into the room. “So Mara what did you need?”

“I..uh got us in a fucked up situation.” Mara said, standing up.

“Us?” Lou growled a little, putting his hands in his pockets.

“My friend from the bar wondered why you and I walked home together, and I stupidly told him we had a one night stand. He hasn’t brought it up to me but when I was asking his girlfriend to help get me a dress she said ‘ask your boyfriend’.” Mara explained quickly.

Ben smirked and began to laugh. “O-oh god this is rich! Please, explain what your friend said about you two sleeping together!”

“Ben this has nothing to do-”

“No tell me.” Lou demanded, he didn’t sound mad but he did sound agitated.

Mara sighed and started fiddling with her hands. “Basically I told him we slept together because nothing else would’ve made sense, he congratulated me and said it was time I lost my virginity. In any case..that’s the situation.”

Lou sighed and tapped his foot while Ben finally hid his face into his pillow as he laughed into the fabric. Mara stepped a bit closer, hoping Lou was looking at her. “I’m so sorry.. Really Lou, i’m sorry I used you like that, but there was nothing else I could’ve said that made sense. I get it if you’re mad, I just thought it would be better off telling you now.”

Lou said nothing for a moment before cupping Mara’s cheek and lightly pinching her cheek. “It’s fine, just...don’t keep lying about it.”

“Ow ow! Ok sorry!” Mara whined as he pinched her cheek harder.

He let go and finally Ben lifted his face up, more blood tears leaking down his cheeks. “This is great. I mean I won’t say anything but this was just a great performance.”

“Ben.” Mara warned, sending a small glare his way but Ben only grinned at her.

“So what about a dress now?” Lou asked, gaining Mara’s attention.

“I’m going to a party at my parents' place..unfortunately it’s formal and I don’t have any dresses to wear. I was actually curious if anyone here was a seamstress or a clothing designer.”

Both Ben and Lou let out a groan as Ben said. “Oh yeah, we have someone. His name is Trenderman.”

“I’ll take you to him.” Lou muttered and took Mara’s wrist, dragging her out of the room.

“Oh! Ok! Bye Ben!” Mara quickly waved as she was dragged out of the room.

“See ya Mara!” Ben called out before closing the door.

Lou took her to the third floor and opened one room that had a note on the front with the word Trenderman in cursive. Mara tilted her head as Lou let go and just walked in without knocking. “Uh Lou?”

“Come on. Trender! You here?” Lou called out into the room.

“Wow..” Mara said in awe as she looked around the room.

It was completely white with rows of clothing racks of different outfits, and on one side was a large tri-mirror. Sure Mara wasn’t a fan of clothes shopping but the room was lit up with a large glass pendant light, and then she looked ahead to a white curtain. Lou pulled the curtain back and the Slender-look-alike jolted out of his bed and got up. He removed his headphones and set them aside. “Sorry! I didn’t hear you!”

“Jeez, headphones were a bad idea for a Christmas gift.”

“Now Lou, before I would listen to it out loud on my phone, it makes many CP’s happier that i’m using headphones.”

Lou shook his head and motioned to Mara. “Trender, this is Mara, she needs help with an outfit.”

For a lack of a face, Trender seemed to light up and took some glasses off his bed. “My you’re a lovely girl! What do you need?”

Mara raised a brow and nervously answered. “Um..a dress? One for a rich party this sunday? Black is preferred.”

“A plain black, boring.” Trender bluntly spoke and walked around Mara, lightly touching her shoulders and hips. “Slim body..I think a romper or mermaid dress. Either of those sound good dear?”

“Um..anything that’s easy to move in?”

“Romper, a perfect summer dress that will give your legs more attention.” Trender concluded, pushing Mara towards the mirror and opened up his phone.

Mara looked to Lou, who was leaning on the wall. “Is he always like this?”

“Let him have fun, it’s not often he gets to dress a girl up.” Lou chuckled.

Mara now got worried and looked to Trender. “Before we go farther, romper sounds nice, but if we could keep it simple that would be good.”

Trender tilted his head but nodded. “Of course, and do I get to help with makeup?”

“Um..sure? But I don’t have anything.” Mara shrugged.

“Great! We’ll start from scratch! Come by on Sunday two hours before your party and i’ll fix you up!” Trender said, taking a quick picture of Mara. “I’ll have something ready by then.”

“A-alright.” Mara replied and quickly left the room with Lou following, stifling his chuckles.

Lou watched her as Mara seemed to try and process all that just happened. “Don’t worry, he’ll help you get to know the others fairly well. Ready to go home?”

“That visit literally took 3 minutes.” Mara said, looking at him. She shook her head and sighed. “Yeah should probably head back.”

“I’ll walk you, the proxies are all busy right now.” Lou shrugged, walking to the stairs. “What’s happening at this party of yours anyway?”

“Just the usual, my parents workers and friends come over to have a fun night. They only want me to attend because they’re hoping I’ll take over one of their businesses.” A sigh left her.

“What do they do again?” Lou asked, glancing at her.

“My mom owns a jewelry place and has opened up several locations, with my dad’s help. Then my dad has a software company, I think it competes with IBM or Facebook. Either way he’s not as rich as microsoft, but rich enough. He specializes in advancements on technology and helps people get a head start in the computer businesses.”

“Huh, sounds...fun?” Lou replied as they left the mansion.

The walk for them was mostly silent as Mara took the time to try and memorize the distance and path to take to the mansion. The air was chilled and the fog already rolled in, this forest was truly magical. At one moment Mara stopped and looked over one of the nearby creeks, seeing the forest getting darker on the other side of it.

“Mara?” Lou called, noticing she stopped walking. “What is it?”

“What’s over there?” Mara asked, not taking her eyes off the forest.

Lou looked over but then grabbed her arm tightly. “Nowhere that you want to go. That’s Zaglo’s territory.”

“Zalgo..that big red and black demon right?” Mara looked at Lou now, who nodded. “Isn’t he a CP though? Why doesn’t he live with you guys?”

“It’s..complicated. Slender and him had different goals and Zalgo shows no mercy in his victims. He has his own place in the under realm, but with less CP’s then Slender.” Lou started to drag her away as he answered.

“Ok well, why have his own place? It’s better to stick together in this crisis.”

“I wish I knew Mara...there’s lots of things you don’t know about Zalgo. Besides, Papa Grande has his own place for a selected few, and normally I just come and go as I please. We’re not all required to live at the mansion, just to pop by and check in to Slender.” Lou sounded almost tired while explaining this.

Mara nodded, not wanting to annoy him further. The two walked together, Lou letting go of her arm after they exited the forest. It was really nice walking home with the silent road, the lampposts glowing, and most of the house lights off. There was an occasional party or two, or stores that were still open, but otherwise it was peaceful. As they passed a 7/11 Mara stopped Lou. “hey Lou, how about I buy you something? For your troubles?”

“I don’t need anything.” Lou shrugged, but Mara smiled and linked arms with him, pulling him inside.

“Come on, just grab something i’ll wait at the check out.” Mara insisted as Lou nodded and started to walk around the store.

While Mara waited she glanced at the candies on the shelf, she took one of the Hershey bars and her mind became lost. They were her favorite candy..but, she didn’t know why..as she thought her mind started to hurt. A faint outline of a person crossed her mind but then a sharp pain followed the vision. No! She needed to see this! Her hand gripped the bar as she tried to remember, closing her eyes as she started to think back.

She was smaller, everything was blurry though, her brain continued to sting as she remembered...a man, teen? Someone handing her a Hershey's bar. Why couldn’t she see his face? Why couldn’t she remember?!

“Mara?”

She jolted out of her daydream and panted, her body wobbled for a second as her face grew warm. Her head was now throbbing as she leaned on the aisle, Lou grabbed her by the waist to steady her and rubbed her back.

“Mara are you ok? What happened?”

“I...I was trying to re..remember something..but I lost it..”

“Well you broke the candy bar while trying to do so.” Lou pointed, her hand still clutching onto the broken and now melting bar.

He removed it from her hand and led her to the counter. She bought Lou’s drink and then Lou had to help her walk out. He didn’t pry but he wasn’t letting her go until she was walking properly. After a few minutes Mara was walking tall, but her head still throbbed lightly. “Hey, what’s the frown for?”

“I just wish I knew why it hurts to remember..” Mara muttered, resting her head against Lou’s arm.

“I’m sure you’ll find out why soon..” Honestly it wasn’t the answer Mara hoped for.

As they get to her home she opened the door and instantly went in to grab ibuprofen, taking a couple tablets while Lou watched from the doorway. “Do you think you’ll be alright?”

“Yeah..thanks Lou.” She said, walking over and giving him a soft smile.

“Yeah..welcome..” He muttered then smirked under his mask. “Don’t need me to stay the night?”

“Yeah I’m sure Lou.” Mara let out a slight chuckle. “I don’t want you to have to stay if you don’t want.”

“But, I offered.” He pointed out.

Mara thought and felt her cheeks heat up a little, but nodded and let him come inside. “Shower is upstairs and well..I have the couch or you can stay in my bed.”

“Got it. I’ll shower first.” He said, walking upstairs.

Mara sighed and locked the door, going upstairs to change into night shorts and a night shirt that covered down to her thighs. She sat on the bed while checking her phone for any notifications, thankful nothing was sent to her. Sighing she sat there and looked over Pinterest while waiting for Lou. Looking at the time on her clock it read ‘12:30am, June 16th, Saturday’ and she laid back. These nights were going to kill her, if she was working it would be different, but when she’s with the CP’s so much happens with each visit.

A tapping on her window made her look up and smile at Grinny. She opened the window and began to pet him. “Hey boy, what are you doing here?”

Grinny meowed and licked her palm, making her giggle. “Here, wait, I’ll get you some milk.”

Mara only left for maybe a minute when she heard a thump from upstairs followed by a cat’s wail and screech. Quickly setting the milk back into the fridge she ran upstairs and stopped at the door when she saw Lou holding Grinny by the neck as the cat thrashed. “Lou let him go!”

“He’s a fucking demon!”

“I know but let him go!” Mara demanded as she grabbed Lou’s arm.

He reluctantly dropped Grinny as the cat hissed and ran out of the room from the window. After a couple seconds of just staring at the window Lou went to close it and pull the curtains in front of it. “Why the hell was Grinny here?”

“He’s been visiting for the past couple nights, he just lays in my bed is all.” Mara explains quickly, then notices that Lou only had his pants on and across his chest was a cat scratch that was pouring blood from his chest. “Oh shit hold on.”

Lou stared as she ran off, he sat down and sighed before glaring at the window. “Alright Grinny, whatever you’re planning..Slender will know by tomorrow.”

Mara came back with a first aid kit and began treating the cuts. “Why did you attack him?”

“Mara you have no idea how dangerous he is. He’s forced people to commit suicide.” Lou grumbled as he watched her patch up the cuts.

“That doesn’t make it right to just strangle him. He hasn’t done anything wrong.”

Oh if only she knew..he thought and sighed, knowing she wasn’t going to justify this. After his cuts were patched he flopped back onto her bed, and she looked confused for a second. “You sleeping here?”

“The bed is large enough.” Lou sighed and stretched, letting his joints pop.

Mara rolled her eyes but laid down, setting the first aid kit on her nightstand. As she looked over to him she commented. “You have really..interesting features.”

“What do you mean?” Lou asked, looking at her.

Even though it was dark, the alarm clock’s light was always bright so she was able to see his syrup colored eyes, and once again his plump lips. “You just look...so human in comparison to others. Most of the proxies seem human but..you’re not one and you look fairly normal.”

“That’s because I wasn’t murdered to be a CP or didn’t change myself. I killed my cheating girlfriend and her whorish boyfriend.”

She could tell this was uncomfortable for him but he seemed relieved to vent out. “I see..I’m sorry..”

“Eh, not your fault..get some sleep.” He said, looking away and closing his eyes. “You know, sometimes I worry you’re too nice.”

“Well, that’s just who I am.” Mara shrugged and laid down, turning her body from Lou.

She laid there awkwardly, it’s the first time she’s had someone in the same bed as her and she wasn’t sure if she could relax. Just as she was going to give into sleep she felt an arm over her waist and her eyes snapped open again. Hearing a light snore from behind her she could tell he was already out cold. God what are these CP’s sleeping schedules? Some sleep at night, some during the day, how the hell do they function? After a bit though his warmth actually was helping her fall asleep as her eyelids started to droop. She let sleep take her and surprisingly, she kind of liked having him hold her.


	8. Co-op Pals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (I'm back from Japan! feels good to be home, hope you guys enjoy this chapter!)

Chapter 8- Co-op Pals

By the morning, Mara awoke and Lou was gone. She figured as much, but she was surprised how well she slept. Mara continued her normal morning and got up to get dressed and eat some food. While checking her phone she began to think. What if just sending all the CP’s on a purge hunt wasn’t enough? What if people would still see it as a new group?

At that moment she received a text from a number she didn’t recognize, she tilted her head and looked at the message. ‘You up?’

‘Who is this?’

‘My name is Jay, i’m another proxy. Slender wanted to know if you wanted to stay the night with us.’

Stay the night? Why..? ‘why would I?’

‘He just sees it as a chance for you to get comfortable here. Of course, most are asleep during the day so you’ll have to sleep most of your day to have energy for the night.’

Mara took a moment to think about this. It didn’t seem like there was consequences and with her being off for the day there was no issue. ‘Sure, i’ll swing by around 5.’

‘Do you know how to get here?’

‘I think I’ll manage.’

When she didn’t get a response she assumed that was it and continued to make breakfast. She went upstairs to watch some TV but grew curious over the events of last night and looked up Grinny the Cat. Many responses and fanart popped up but clicking on a wiki one she began to read.

“Grinny is manipulative, clever, demonic, and in some cases considered an illusionist. However, only demonic and clever have been proven by people who have survived or by origin stories. In the likely event you meet this cat, do not let it in, give it some food but do not let it know where you live.”

Well she fucked up that instruction already. Thinking back to the events from last night there had to be another reason Lou was trying to keep Grinny out. The darker part of the forest came to her mind. Zalgo..She remember seeing images but she’s never looked up his origins, only seeing pictures of him. As she listened to the survivor story she then started looking up origins, but there were none, or at least none that were most believed to be true. Everyone has to come from something..

Mara sat and thought, thinking of everything she’s learned so far. Perhaps… if Slender was once human and chosen to be a CP, maybe Zalgo is the same case. The only form of origin that she could find was that he was a meme of a creature or character that would infect cartoon comics. She even listened to the recording online, which was a little hard to understand at first. It was truly demonic, but..could it be possible he’s the only one that knows his own origin? There’s no way a council would just pick a random demon to be a second best man.

She closed out of the Creepypasta tabs and sighed, well that search wasn’t the best. Just then though a tapping noise startled her and she looked to the window. Getting up she opened the curtains to see Grinny. He wasn’t grinning at her and looked around the room, Mara only sighed and opened the window. “Sorry about last night Grinny. I had no idea that Lou would attack you.”

Grinny seemed satisfied and grinned at her, hopping down and rubbed his body against her legs. Mara didn’t feel like being comforted and picked him up, setting him on her bed. “Grinny, how do I get to Zalgo?”

Grinny tilted his head but then went to the door, pawing at it. Mara took a deep inhale before grabbing her purse and following Grinny out. As she followed behind he took her through the woods, it surprised her how far it was to wherever Zalgo was. The forest was getting darker and it was only 11:25, but she just flipped out her flashlight and turned it on. Grinny continued walking before stopping and hissing into the dark, he let out a shriek and ran off, making Mara gasp as she tried to avoid him. “Grinny!”

He didn’t look back at her as Mara gulped and looked to the shadows. Some one must be there.. “Hello? Any Creepypasta’s here? My name is Mara, i’m just..i’m looking for Zalgo.”

She gasped again when she heard a branch snapped, her heart rate spiking. Mara tried to stay calm but was having a difficult time doing so, when she suddenly heard someone clear their throat she spun around. What she saw surprised her though rather than scared her, a scarecrow on a post. “Huh..that’s strange, you’re not in any field..”

She stepped closer as it grinned at her and she cleared her throat. “Uh excuse me? Where can I find Zalgo?”

It said nothing, swaying slightly from the wind. Mara wasn’t dealing with this bullshit. “Ok i know someone moved, you might as well just tell me where he is.”

“BOO!”

Mara screamed as the scarecrow suddenly lunged at her and began to throw his head back laughing. “M-man you humans are easy! I love that though!”

Mara let out a frustrated grunt. “Look, mr.Scarecrow i’m not in the mood, now tell me where-”

“Zalgo can’t be reached by normal means girl.” He chuckled, smirking at her. “If you want to find him, you’ll have to go through the portal. And only I hold the key to get in.”

The scarecrow began to whistle an eerie tune and Mara sighed, letting her arms fall to her sides. “Ok, is that what you do to all CP’s?”

“Nope, just humans.” He snickered and continued whistling.

“Alright fine..what do I have to do?”

“Change the wrapping.”

“Excuse me?”

The scarecrow sighed and motioned one of his straw hands up to his face. “My wrapping. Every once in a while I have to have it flipped. If you can do that and not even scream or hurl then I won’t have to kill you. Clear?” 

Mara knew this was suspicious but nodded, taking off his straw hat and feeling around the neck for the knot holding the wrapping over his head. As she loosened it blood began to seep down the wrap, and her breath hitched. Oh she knew what was going to happen. Taking a breath she quickly lifted it off and a bloody skull was revealed, but the scarecrow just stared at her and laughed. 

Just as fast as she ripped it off she flipped the wrapping inside out and threw it back over his head, tying it quickly around his straw neck. Mara moved her hands away from him as she looked at the blood and he continued to laugh. “Good job, you looked speechless for a second there.”

Mara just stared at him in disbelief and he calmed down. “Alright i had fun, go ahead.”

From behind him a red glow shone in the forest, a red ring with a cloudy center. Slowly she stepped into it, and she thought she heard whispers as she stepped through. She nearly stumbled forward, not expecting the floor to be slightly lower below her feet. Her breath left her as she looked up in awe. The room surrounding her was a throne, the castle seemed black with red decor, curtains, even the windows revealed the outside to be red. It was like she was in another dimension, and it was highly possible she is.

“Welcome Mara.” A deep, dark, and demonic voice called.

Infront of her on the black, stone looking throne chair, the very demon she was looking for stood. He began to walk to her and she was rather intimidated by the mouths that covered his body, along with his height that could compare to Slender’s. Mara took a step back but tried to keep eye contact with him.

“S-sir I have some questions.” She stuttered out.

“Funny, I thought you wanted some answers.” He chuckled darkly, giving her a wide grin.

“All the same, if I can’t get my answers here i’ll get them elsewhere.” Mara replied.

“Interesting..i’m sure that Scarecrow welcomed you warmly.” Zalgo mentions, noting the blood on her hands.

“He was...giggly.” Mara groaned, trying to wipe the blood onto her legs but it refused to even leave her hands.

“You wont get it off that way, when you leave this realm then it will come off.” Zalgo huffed. “In anycase, your questions?”

“Oh right! Did you come from somewhere? I see most CP’s have an origin but some don’t and you’re one of them.”

Zalgo grinned and leaned down, getting his face close to hers. “Must there always be an explanation for that?”

Mara looked confused, trying not to reel back at the heat that was radiating off him, the heat that surrounded him was almost scorching. “I mean..if there’s another explanation I’d like to hear it.”

“To put it simply, I’m pure demon.” Zalgo said, backing away. “In my realm some CP’s have origins, others are just demons that appeared out of nowhere to haunt people.”

“But even demons have to be summoned right?” Mara asked. “There’s no way that they could just appear.”

“You forgot about our council.” Zalgo huffed. “Many legends are part of the council. Some of which seemed to come from nowhere, and other legends surround your earth that have no real story. Have you heard of the Kelpie?”

“yeah.. The demonic horse that drowns people.” Mara said sadly, she had never really liked the kelpie stories as much.

“Exactly. So the council sometimes spawn us, or we’re created by horror or humans, and if our will to live is strong enough we become CP’s.” Zalgo said then turned, walking down a nearby hall. “Come with me.”

Mara didn’t hesitate and followed him, looking at the walls and out the windows. “Zalgo, are we..in another dimension?” 

“That is correct, this place is infused with both demons and CP’s. I tend to take care of the demonic ones because I know how to handle them.”

“But Slender takes care of a couple demon ones right?” 

Zalgo paused for a second before looking at her. “He takes care of the weaker CP’s. The ones that still have human emotions and regrets. Those that want petty things like love and security. I protect the wild ones that are harder to control such as Momo, or Skintaker..”

Mara shivered, the names themselves sounded scary, it’s no wonder Zalgo was in charge of them. “So there’s not a single CP here with...kindness?”

“Only one that I know for sure could even be considered kind.” Zalgo muttered before stopping at a large door and opening it.

Inside was filled with shelves of jars, boxes, and books. It looked like an old fashion archive, like something she’s seen from Lord of the Rings. There were faint glows from the jars and small whispers filled the room. “Relics?”

“Ah so you’ve heard of them.” Zalgo purred as he walked in, taking one of the jars and looking at the little blue ball of light. 

“Slender said he was looking through your..collection. Why do you keep these?” Mara asked, looking at a jar with a small black figure.

“I’m the demon lord, it’s my job to look after demonic or reality bending things.” Zalgo shrugged, then looked to her. “And I want to give you one.”

Mara looked at him in confusion but also concern. “What? But..won’t I be a demon at that point?”

“Just because you have a relic or demon with you doesn’t mean you will become one.” Zalgo smirked. “Many of these relics can be of use to you for helping save the CPs.”

“I...thought you despised Slender.” Mara said softly, staring at him.

“Although him and I don’t agree to things I’m not fond of ending my fun with humans just yet.” Zalgo snickered. “Now, pick a couple jars and I’ll tell you what they do.”

Mara looked back to the jar with the black figure, which was now frantically trying to get out, like it wanted to be picked. It was a small figure, probably only 9 cm, and when it was just standing it looked like a cloaked figure that was trying to hide its whole body. The head of this demon actually had a hair like feature that looked like his hair was brushed forward into a wavy fringe, but didn’t go over its orchid eyes.

As it was moving around, its “cloak” opened up to show two arms that reminded Mara of birds wings with an orchid colored stringy tendril on the end of both wings. And the body of the creature was longer than the wings, but still had the same orchid tendril at the end of its body. Although as it jumped around it was fluid, the movements like liquid except when it stood or prepared to fly.

“What about this guy Zalgo?” She asked, picking the jar up carefully as the creature looked at her, pressing the wings to the glass.

“That one? He’s not really dangerous..” Zalgo mumbled as he stood behind Mara to look at the jar.

“Then why is he locked up?” She tilted her head.

“Sleep demons are unpredictable, and they can grow more powerful when they devour more dreams. All he’s really good for it making people have nightmares or dreams.”

Mara frowned and looked at the glass, the demon began to look sad as it slunked to the side of the jar. She couldn’t bear to look at him like this. “I’ll take him.”

“What? A sleep demon?” Zalgo asked, the look on his face could be described as shocked.

The demon in the glass started bouncing around excitedly. “Yes Zalgo, I don’t want a malice spirit.”

Zalgo shrugged. “Alright..long of the short is, you need to give him a name and feed him every morning.”

“Can’t I feed him more than just once?” Mara asked, handing the jar to Zalgo.

“Once in the morning is usually enough for the whole day, but if he’s hungry he has to eat on his own accord or tell you somehow. Sleep demons normally feed off dreams but we had to reform him. Seems he really enjoys fruits. Otherwise that’s all you really need to know.” Zalgo finished then popped the top off the jar.

The demon flew out instantly and began flying around the room before Mara smiled and held out her hand. “Come here please.”

The demon landed on her hand, using its wings to walk as it curled around her index finger and hugged it tightly. When it brushed against her hand she was thankful the blood did not get on him, but the texture of the body felt smooth and inky, yet cold.

“Alright, you should probably go before a CP finds you gone.” 

“What? But I only got here around 11.” Mara said, looking at Zalgo.

“Look at your phone.” Zalgo sighed, pointing to her purse.

She flipped open her phone and was shocked to see that the time still wasn’t changed from 11:35. “Did..time slow down?”

“In this dimension time slows down and remains in a limbo. It could have been an hour at least since you arrived.” Zalgo answered, taking out a dust of red powder from one of the jars. “Hold still, this might feel weird.”

“Wha-” 

As he blew the dust on her she coughed and opened her eyes to see the forest border, she was outside the Slender woods. A shiver ran down her spine from the tingling sensation around her body. She gazed around quickly to the houses nearby and looked at her phone, which now read 1 pm. She quickly ran home before anyone could catch a glimpse at the blood on her hands, stuffing the demon into her purse as she ran. When she got inside she panted and ran to the sink, scrubbing her hands furiously as the blood began to pour into the sink.

After a moment of scrubbing she heard a strange noise and looked at the demon that was poking its head out of the purse. The sound was almost a mix of a cricket chirp and a kitten’s cry as it called out what sounded like a word. “Home!”

“Home?” She asked, looking at the demon and carefully pulling him out of the bag. “Wait you can talk?”

It continued to repeat the sound as it flew around the room, clearly enjoying the new home. The cry was endearing and cute, making Mara smile as it flew to her again and landed on her head. “You must’ve been stuck there for a long time.. Were you already fed?”

The demon flew in front of her face and shook its head, and Mara nodded in reply. She took an apple from the fridge and set it down, watching in amusement as the demon started to eat the apple the only way it really could. It opened its mouth to show dark orchid teeth and began to take a bite out of the apple, but in fast pace.

“Alright...now you need a name..” Mara hummed as she opened her phone and thought. It had to be something small just in case she had to yell it out, but she wanted it to be meaningful.

“How about Dalion?” She asked, getting the demon to pause and shake its head.

“hmm..Arien?” Mara asked again, receiving another shake.

“Kilo?”

Shake.

“Yeraz?”

Shake.

“Sapan?” 

Double head shake.

Mara started to wonder if this was a girl and was looking at the wrong names, but then she saw a name listed that represented what she wanted. “What about Lorien?”

The demon looked confused, tilting his head as she explained. “Lorien is the god of dreams based on a great authors imagination, his name was Tolkein.”

The demon started flying around again, now cheering out. “Lorien! Lorien!”

Mara chuckled and put her phone away. “Lorien it is then. Go ahead and eat up, I might as well do some chores before going to the Creepypasta’s.”

Mara started doing some of her house cleaning while Lorien was eating the apple, even when he was done he bit out the seeds to eat. Time passed fairly quickly and when it hit 3pm she saw this as a good time to get to the woods. She let Lorien sit on her head to look like a hairpin and let him enjoy the sun a bit. She swore he even started to purr as he rested there. A couple people complimented the “hairpin” as she made her way to the forest. But as she arrived at the forest she looked up.

“Ok Lorien, you can move now.” 

Lorien took the invite and began to fly around her as Mara walked across the border of the forest. “Alright..hopefully I can remember where the mansion is..”

Mara walked through, trying to recall the last couple times she walked through the forest and was trying to look for landmarks or differences in the land, but it was all fucking trees. How the hell did they memorize this path? Mara occasionally had to stop for Lorien’s curiosity or would stop to recalculate where she is. Lorien currently sat on her shoulder as Mara continued to walk, glancing at her phone that now said 3:25pm.

“Ok this is nuts..” Mara sighed and looked at the numbers that she had gotten from the proxies.

As the phone rang she held it to her ear and looked around, soon Masky picked up. “Who is this?”

“It’s Mara, look i’m in the woods trying to get to you guys and-”

“You got lost?”

“Yeah..” Mara sighed. 

“Ok stay put I’ll find you from the cameras.”

Cameras? The hell kind of forest is this? “Alright. Should I stay on the line or..”

“Just hang up, I’ll find you.”

Mara hung up and sighed, tapping her foot a bit as she waited and looked around for these cameras that Masky was talking about. After not seeing them she debated on moving to a different spot, but if she knows that’s a terrible idea. Lorien continued to fly around her, sometimes laying on her head or on the nearest tree branch. However after five minutes suddenly the small demon flew into her bag for cover. Mara began to look around, it’s possible that if a demon runs, you should run too just like animals do.

Gazing around she heard a low growl from the forest, and unable to tell where it was coming from she looked around rapidly for the source. Lorien began to let out small squeaks and cries as the growls grew closer and a..lullaby? Not knowing where to go or where to look she climbed up the nearest tree, her adrenaline spiking as she made it up the tree in one minute. She began to frantically look below her as something running was stomping through the woods, what she was greeted by though was a mordant pain to her right leg as she was dragged from the tree.

Mara screamed and looked up at a strange and naked creature, but being dragged didn’t give her much time to look as she took out her flashlight and hit the creature in what seemed to be it’s face. It screamed in return and bit into her leg as Mara thrashed, managing to kick it off and get up to run. Her vision became blurry as she heard the roar and stomps behind her but she noticed Masky ahead of her and immediately caved into his arms. She looked at him, but her hearing seemed to only let out a high pitched ring, unable to hear her surroundings as her vision blacked out.

(for those that are having trouble visualizing Lorien, you have a couple options. I was trying to describe a creature from a tumblr user by the name of Maskman626, who does wonderful Gif arts! Or you could go onto google and just look up “Jar of darkness gif”.)


	9. Restart? Nah, Loot Up

Chapter 9- Restart? Nah, Loot Up

Mara slowly woke, her leg was stinging and she took a moment for her vision to change from blurry to foggy then clear. She tried to sit up but jolted as she quickly looked to her arms, which were strapped to a table. Quickly taking in her surroundings, she noticed the walls were dark and made on concrete, like a basement but wider. There were large metal rods jutting out from the walls to support white curtains and medical beds with white sheets, a few stained red and black.

“Ah~ good evening my dear!” A man spoke.

Mara quickly looked down towards her feet and noticed a doctor sitting at the end with a mask. “I’m Dr.Smiley! The rake got your leg pretty good but it will heal.”

“D..doctor Smiley? Why am I strapped down?” Mara asked nervously as he moved closer to her.

“You kicked me in your sleep.” He answered bluntly before chuckling and undoing the straps around my wrists. “Also I took it upon myself to do some small tests~”

Mara sat up and grabbed him by his shirt collar, glaring at him. “What did you do?”

“Nothing~ just took some blood and skin samples!” He smiled and pulled her hand off, walking to her legs and undoing the straps.

A door opened behind them and Mara turned over to see Slender quickly walking to them. “Great Zalgo Mara you scared us. Masky told me Rake attacked you.”

“I’m fine Slender, I guess I just passed out from blood loss..” Mara muttered, rubbing her head that was beating against her skull.

“Actually, you passed out from shock. Your brain waves and adrenaline were out of control when I tested you.” Dr.Smiley added on, looking between Slender and her.

“Well..either way, Rake has been punished. It seems he attacked you because he only ate a human a couple miles from where you were and the blood lust got to him.”

“So he couldn’t recognize me? I can understand that..” Mara sighed and looked at her leg. It was bandaged up but was stained with red, a light throbbing was vibrating through her leg.

“I suggest wearing pants or long dresses for a while.” Dr.Smiley said and walked off to a part of the lab with a file cabinet.

“Yeah..wait! Where’s Lorien!?” Mara asked, looking around frantically. 

“Lorien?” Slender questioned. “I have your purse but who’s Lorien?”

Slender held out Mara’s purse to her and she snatched it quickly, opening up the zipper as Lorien popped out and nuzzled her cheek. “Oh thank god you’re ok..”

“Child! Why do you have a dream demon?!” Slender’s voice boomed in her head, making her flinch and Lorien take cover in her hair.

“I..I found him, he just seemed so sad that..well I decided to keep him.” Mara stuttered, looking at Slender.

Slender leaned close, and if he had eyes they would be burning holes into her skull. “Zalgo..”

'Oh shit! He reads minds!' Mara jolted a bit and covered Lorien. “You won’t hurt him right?”

Slender backed away and sighed. “No..but I will have to speak to Zalgo..in the meantime, would you like dinner?”

“Um..yes please..” Mara slowly got off the medical bench and Lorien landed on her head. She cautiously set her feet down on the floor, getting a sharp pain up her legs at first before throbbing took place of the pain. Slender waited patiently beside her as she tested and flexed her leg. “Slender, did Lou return here this morning?”

Slender stiffened at her words, his head turned to her, and although he had no face he clearly wasn’t happy with this question. “Lou..is no longer allowed to be near you unless it’s an emergency..”

“What why?” Mara asked immediately, stepping closer that way they were toe to toe, but her neck was twinging in pain as she looked up.

“Because..I fear that he may become too comfortable with you.” Slender replied. “Ben informed you on the councils thoughts on “relationships” correct?”

“Yeah..but how did they find out-i mean..Lou and I are friends..” Mara spoke softly.

“The council has many spies and ways to see my family, as for you and Lou, it’s best you remain as just acquaintances. After all, when this is over you’ll leave us.” Slender said before turning and walking out of the basement.

Mara had followed him but couldn’t help feeling hurt, even if she was going to leave it’s not right to punish someone just for liking them or being their friend. “He’s not hurt right?”

“No, simply kicked out of the mansion whenever you stop by.” Slender continued his pace as he lead her to the kitchen.

Her heart dropped a bit, how could this council be so cruel? Weren’t they just like the CPs? And separating them from each other and calling them monsters..that’s just wrong. Just because they may not be fully human doesn’t mean they deserve to be alone. Mara’s gaze snapped up when she heard the clatter of a pan and blinked as she watched Slender. Mara watched in amazement as black tendrils seemed to appear from Slender’s back and grabbing supplies and food from around the kitchen and the fridge. Damn, it would be easier to do chores if she had extra arms. She lifted herself up onto the counter and watched him as he prepared dinner, but jumped as she heard a yell.

“Mara dear!”

Turning to look she was greeted with a hug from Trender. “Oof! H-hi Trender!”

“Hello!” He stopped hugging her as he looked over her clothes and gagged. “Mara...don’t ever wear yellow again it doesn’t become you..”

Ok, she had to admit her yellow tank top wasn’t her favorite but it was her last clean tank top. But she thought her light wash jean shorts and black sneakers would help hide how horrible the shirt was. “Uh got it..so what’s up Trender?

“Oh right! I saw you being carried in earlier and that horrendous gash on your leg!” Trender said in concern as he turned his head to look at her leg.

“It’s alright Trender. I’m still walking..but about that dress..as much as I hate it, you’ll need to make it a long dress.” Mara sighed. “I’m sorry for the trouble.”

“It’s alright. I’ll get to work, Slender i’ll eat later!”

“Understood.” Slender replied as Trender teleported away. 

“So..how many brothers do you have?” Mara asked, swinging her legs a little. Slender didn't look at her as he responded, still letting more of his tendrils do the work of preparing dinner. 

“Four. Splendor, Trender, Tender, and Offender. Do NOT take a rose or drink from Offenderman. It’s most likely a tatic to rape you.” Slender cautioned darkly.

“Got it..” Mara glanced away a little. She waited a little before noticing a bunch of CP’s heading to the dining room and talking to others along the way. Many of them stopped to look at Mara or continued walking but threw her a glance. Mara tried to avoid eye contact, she knew she wasn’t really welcomed. Slender had soon made a large feast, with the help of Splendor and Tender as they came along. Tender was nice to talk to but he was overly concerned if she was in pain or uncomfortable, he literally tried to give her five different medicines before Slender told him to stop. Splendor was also kind, a good...creature. And he had many stories to tell, also letting Mara know if she needed anything she could tell him.

The three brought out the plates as Mara stood awkwardly at the door frame of the kitchen, the dining room itself was very large. The wooden table stretched from one wall to the other with the CP’s quickly picking spots to sit in, and creatures like the Rake and Smile Dog were in the corner area chomping on some bloody raw meat. The CP’s must have a revolving system or one that some could be at the table while others skipped dinner and ate in the morning, because there was no way over a hundred CP’s were eating here.

“Mara! Over here!” Ben called out, sitting next to EJ and several others, but pulled out the chair to his left.

Mara nervously walked over as she took a seat in the wooden chair and gave Ben a soft smile. Jeff however that sat across her, looked like he was ready to start an argument, she did her best to look away from him. All the CP’s started handing plates around and Mara was surprised how civil the dinner was starting out. As the food was passed around Mara skipped anything that she couldn’t recognize, or that she clearly knew was not animal meat.

“So Mara, does your father have a lot of guards?” One man asked, who she believed to be Homicidal Liu.

“Well yes, every party. But I’m not worried, they know me pretty well.” Mara commented and guessed out. “Liu right?”

“That’s right..and are you sure? Won’t they be suspicious if you stay in that room for hours?” His brow raised, and she could help but swallow as she saw the stitches clearly under the light in the room. That's one thing she would hate to deal with.

“It wouldn’t take hours idiot.” Ben huffed. “That USB is going to take 20 minutes max.”

“Even so, that is a while elf.” One of the girls, Jane, hissed. “if she's "daddy's little princess" then they're going to go look for her and she'll get caught.”

“Forget the guards, what if the door is locked?” Jason asked out to everyone.

“There’s always windows~” LJ chuckled to himself as he ate.

“She would fall and die you monochrome ass.” Jeff growled at him.

Mara was slightly uncomfortable with how casual they were talking about her death or complications, but they had a point. “Well, if you all are certain i’ll have problems what should I do? I don’t have a lock pick, and I don’t know how to knock anyone out without a weapon.”

The group of CP’s stared as some muttered down the line of CP’s at the table. One voice, from Toby, yelled down to her. “Why not use Masky?”

“Toby fuck you!”

“I’m just trying to help!” Toby laughed as he ducked under the table when Masky threw a fork at him.

“Actually that’s not bad.” Zero snapped her fingers and smiled. “If you take CP’s with great talents like that you won’t have a problem.”

“Ben, why don’t you go? You can travel through the TV.” EJ asked as him and Mara looked to Ben.

“I would but there needs to be someone decoding the software from home.” Ben huffed. “Plus it may take time for me to crawl out if it’s a small screen.” 

A strange letter looking Pokemon flew in front of them before zipping back to the source of who was Lost Silver and Glitchy Red. Lost Silver nodded to them and Glitchy Red filled in. “we can take care of it Ben, just go help decode.”

“But then there has to be someone to help unlock the door or knock out guards.” Jane called down to the table. “AND they have to look mostly human and wear a fancy suit.”

“Actually, most of my families business parties allow you to dress a little casual, the most casual being slacks and a nice shirt.” Mara explained quickly, looking down both sides of the table.

“Take Jay then, leave me out of it!” Masky shouted down to her, pointing at Jay. Said CP, set down his camera and looked at Mara with a bored gaze. Mara offered a small smile, her hands fidgeting under the table.

Jay sighed but gave Mara a soft smile. “I’ll help out. It’s just a couple hours.”

“Thanks Jay..” Mara smiled back. “Really thanks..Anyone else I should bring?”

“Someone stealthy.” LJ called out, blood trickling down the corner of his mouth as he ate.

“What about Jeff?” Someone cackled, as Mara looked down she saw it was Candypop. He was a clown killer similar to LJ but his killing methods are more like Pennywise.

“Up yours Candypop! At least I don’t look like I was dumped in ink and dragged through a gay bar!” Jeff yelled to Candypop.

An uproar started with a mix of laughing, shouting, and cheers. Many CP’s began to throw utensils at each other and others just started up conversations with someone else. Mara tried to avoid any part of the fight by pulling her seat back and setting her plate on her lap and ate. But she started looking over the CP’s in thought. An idea hit her and she yelled out. 

“SHUT THE HELL UP!”

Some of the closer cp's slowly began to quiet down, while the ones farther down the table continued to chat. Mara stood up, looking to those that were actually listening. “Look, who here claims to be stealthy?”

Several CP’s raised their hands and she added on. “OK, now how many of you hold more humanistic features?”

Many hands dropped but a couple did stand out. Jane, Zero, Kate, Unknown, and Dr.Smiley. She knew the doctor would be too crazy for the party and unfortunately Unknown’s eyes were just pure white. Jane would be good but her mask would be a little curious, so Zero was her best bet. 

“Zero, you’re going with us.” Mara demanded, leaving no room for rejection.

“Yes!” Zero fist pumped and laughed as she spoke to Judge Angel.

Mara sat back down and smiled. “I’m glad that’s over with..”

Saying this a fork whizzed past her and hit LJ’s seat, Mara jolted and looked to Candypop who was smirking. LJ glared for a second before chuckling and grabbing his plate, chucking it at the neon clown but managed to hit other CP’s along the way. Ben slowly sunk out of his seat with his plate and moved under the table.

“I would duck.” EJ commented as he also went under the table.

Mara quickly got under as several yells echoed in the room along with the sound of glass and plates shattering. Mara looked around in surprise at a few CP’s also ducking under the table, letting the rest of them continue the war on the table. She looked confused as Lorien moved from her head and she asked Ben. “is it like this every night?”

“Most nights, we’d be lucky to get through one night without injuries.” Ben shrugged and took out his phone, but continued to eat while sitting under the table.

EJ continued the conversation. “Slender will only interfere if they get too violent. Otherwise, he sees this as a good way for everyone to release their frustrations or anger.”

“I see..I suppose it’s healthy.” Mara sheepishly said before yelping at a blade that was stabbed through the table. 

She ducked lower to the ground and continued to watch the shadows and feet from under the table. Sure she understood they were killers and had aggressive behaviors, but couldn’t they talk? Or don’t they have a gym or training system to help get all this aggression out? Thinking she started to crawl where Slender was and lightly tugged on one of his pant legs. The tall legend jolted at the sudden tug and looked under the table.

“Oh, what are you doing down there Mara?”

“Avoiding being killed by kitchenware.” She replied playfully before asking. “Do you think you can plan to make a gym or something? It might help with their training.”

“I can look into it but I can’t make promises. Here, why don’t you go see my brother?” Slender suggested, trying to keep Mara from danger.

Mara nodded and quickly crawled out as she hurried to the stairs, making sure not to run into anyone along the way. When she got lost of course she had no choice but to slow down and take a breath. Lorien was happily flying around and hanging off the nearest lights by his orchid tail. Mara continued to walk around to find Trender’s room. While looking around, envy crept into her heart, yes growing up rich had perks..but she never had brothers or sisters..

Sure, she has a ton of cousins, but her home was always empty. She remembers once asking her mom for a sibling but her mother only sorrowfully answered that she couldn’t have her own children. But even then, they could have adopted, or volunteer for children to have a taste of a better life. At least the CP’s have family, even if it’s not perfect or completely normal. A chill ran up her back and she crossed her arms in the hope of being warm, and smiled at Lorien as he flew up to her. He tilted his head and let out a small chirp before landing on her head and nuzzling himself into her hair.

“Well..i’m not completely alone now..”

The halls seemed endless along with going up and down different floors of the mansion, it was starting to tick her off. Hearing a door open she sighed, knowing she has no choice but to ask someone for directions. “Excuse me? Can you tell me where-”

“Are you Mara?”

Mara jolted back, her feet grounded to her spot as she looked to the man in front of her. Her voice was quiet as she replied. “y-yes...you’re..KageKao right?”

Said man nodded and chuckled. “No need to be tense. I was just going downstairs for more wine. I haven’t seen you since your awkward hello the other day.”

Mara slowly relaxed, thankful for Lorien nuzzling her to comfort her. “Y-yeah..sorry i’m not good with um..public speaking.”

“Ah, well perhaps someone can help you get over that fear.” Kagekao shrugged. “Now, what do you need?”

“Oh right!” Mara exclaimed. “Do you know where Trender’s room is?”

Kagekao busted out laughing and held his stomach, Mara was very tempted to hit him but politely waited for him to finish. After what seemed like forever he’s laughing finally relaxed to a few deep breaths. “Are you done now?”

“Yes, yes I am.” Kage chuckled breathlessly before grabbing her shoulders, turning her around and pushing her to the door next to his room. “It’s right here.”

Mara’s face flushed red and Kage fought the urge to laugh as she snapped at him. “Well how was I supposed to know that?!”

“Look little Moscato, if you want to stay here you’ll need to learn how to find the CP’s rooms.” Kage said and patted her shoulder, pointing to the doors down the hall. “Rely on your senses.”

“My senses?” Mara questioned, looking at him with a tilt of her head.

“Yes, some have names or colors on them. Others have certain smells you can tell apart, and if you feel some of the doors you can feel the CP’s pain as well.”

“Their..pain?” Mara mumbled a bit. Kage chuckled and took one of her hands, taking her to another door before placing her palm on it.

“Feel for it. If you want to help us, you'll need to know more than the stories from survivors.” Kage cautioned. “What do you feel from this door?”

Mara listened, thought, and tried to focus but all she felt was the wood. Taking a breath she closed her eyes and rested her forehead to the door. It felt..empty? No, more like alone. Alone, cold..maybe she’s just projecting her own thoughts. She pulled away and looked at Kage. “who’s door is this?”

“Ah ah, that’s not how you play.” Kage chuckled, she was sure he was giving a huge grin under his mask. “What did you feel?”

“cold..I think, and alone?” Mara said slowly.

“Good..this is Clockworks room.” Kage pointed at a scar carved into the door. “She made that single scar with her knife.”

“I have a lot to learn, don't I?” Mara timidly asked.

“Yep! Good luck Moscato!” Kage slapped the back of her shoulder, making it sting and nearly making Mara trip forward.

“What does Moscato even mean!?” She hissed and glared at him as he walked away.

“It’s a sweet wine!” He called back, not even looking at her as he waved his hand.

She shook her head and rolled her shoulders back before walking to Trender’s door and knocking. When she heard a “come in!”, she opened the door and her eyes took a second to adjust to the bright lights. She focused on Trender who seemed to be in a hurry as he started pushing her to the curtained part of the room and throwing her a dress. 

“Quickly put this on!”

“W-what?” She turned to look at him but he already drew the curtains closed.

Tilting her head she glanced at the dress and shrugged. “Ok? Lorien can you stay with Trender for a bit?”

Lorien squeaked and flew out, landing on the tri-mirror in the room. Trender waited anxiously as Mara called from the other side. “Trender? Can I ask you a personal question?”

“Of course. What is it?” Trender asked, tapping his foot lightly.

“well..KageKao said it was important for me to know the CP’s origins..so..how did you and your brothers come to be?”

That threw Trender for a loop. It was sort of a taboo to talk about origins, no matter whose story it is. But considering..

“Well Mara, we all have our own stories. But for the Slender brothers specifically..we were betrayed..” Trender’s words made the shuffling of clothes stop for a moment, a sign for him to continue.

“We have our own pasts Mara, and you’ll need to ask people individually if you’re that curious. But be weary it can be risky depending on who you ask. Not everyone remembers their origins, so Slender would look into their minds before detailing everything to Dr.Smiley.”

“Why him?” Mara called out, continuing to dress.

“He’s our primary doctor, it’s his job to know every little thing about us.” Trender summarized. “Just like any doctor that’s assigned a patient.”

“Right..ok I think I got it on correctly..I feel kind of stupid..” Mara huffed.

“Oh come on out. I need to make sure it fits right.” Trender said eagerly but was serious.

Mara slowly stepped out, but not used to the dress she nearly tripped as she walked out. It was a beautiful dress she had to admit, A dark purple satin dress with black lace that decorated the dress in swirls and nameless shapes. Around her waist was a black sash, and it was strapless so at least her arms were free. Trender peered at her and clapped his hands. 

“I knew a mermaid dress would work! The purple and black fit so perfectly!” 

“It’s really hard to walk in.” Mara huffed as she moved her legs as proof. How can people pull this off?!

“Mara.” Trender said softly, catching her attention. “Have you never heard that you are beautiful?”

Mara blinked and raised a brow. “only by my family, and my friend Alyssa.”

“But by a stranger I mean.” Trender elaborated, he carefully took her arm and moved her in front of the mirror. “You are beautiful Mara, but not enough people have told you.”

Most say eyes are the windows or gates into the soul, and seeing her own violet eyes reflected such confusion and hurt. She turned her head away but listened as Trender spoke.

“Mara, most people are internally devastated when they start silencing the voices that tell you to do more. They become louder, to the point where you argue with yourself, and then just when you think you’re sane. You’re no different then CP’s.”

“Shut it!” Mara hissed at him, making him back up as she spun around. “I'm not a CP! I'm not a princess! and i'm perfectly sane thank you! there's nothing in my life that cases me anguish!"

As she took a couple deep breaths and watched Trender carefully, but he said nothing. She marched over to the curtain and closed it, muttering out. “Thanks for the dress..”

All the while Trender said nothing as she got dressed and then moved to the door. “Mara.”

She froze and looked at him, stopping at the door. Trender fixed his glasses before giving her world a spin. “Cry wolf often enough and you eventually get eaten by the wolf, even if the wolf is you.”


	10. AOE: Area Of Effect

Chapter 10- AOE: Area Of Effect

She never fled so fast from a room before, hell when she was younger she’d be scolded for slamming a door and running in the halls. Lorien was frantically flying after her with small chitters as he clung onto her hair. After minutes passed of her running she wound up at the grand stairwell and finally breathing normally. Her hands clenched onto the railing as she slowly sat at the top of the stairs.

Never in her life was she expecting someone, no something, to judge her. Trender’s not human, he couldn’t understand the pressure of society, he didn’t know her, for god’s sake they only knew each other for a couple days. She wasn’t hiding, she was open about everything, she was always honest to everyone about everything! The feelings began clouding in her head as she continued to yell into the vast void in her brain, and she slowly tucked her knees up to hide her face.

Stop it..stop yelling at yourself, that’s not at all mature or a way to show yourself you are better than judges. Be calm, be open minded, don’t let anyone talk you down. Her mind soothed, and taking deep shaky breaths she forced herself to relax. She didn’t know what to do now, she said some harsh things to Trender so..apologize? No, maybe wait a few minutes, plus it would take forever trying to navigate the halls again.

But..if the CP’s truly were similar to her..Mara slowly stood and pecked at the top of Loriens head as he came to rest on her shoulder. “Hang on Lorien, I have to find something.”

Kage simply implied that this place had a form of magic property, allowing people to find their rooms based on how they feel. Perhaps he was just drunk but it could help her find some answers. Taking another breath she began to look around and the first door that caught her eye was covered in knife marks. As she stepped closer she placed her hand on it and felt...safe? No,definitely not..but it felt more peaceful then the first door she tried. A bit cold, but still peaceful.

She knocked lightly, waiting for a response, there was none. Slowly she turned the knob and looked inside the room, in the darkness it was impossible to see anyone. She slowly moved her hand to the wall and felt for a light switch, gaining her breath back when her fingers touched it and flicked the light on. Her heart rate picked up, looking at the dark room that mostly had black or red design. The walls were covered with knife marks in random patterns, the sheets of the bed just thrown off as if someone stumbled out. There was a dresser and a desk covered in knives that looked to be getting cleaned, judging by the old cloth on the desk.

Mara’s mind must have read “safe” as hazardous and “cold” as war zone, because red flags were waving frantically in her head. But in the room, on the nightstand, she was surprised to see a music box. Slowly her feet began pulling her closer to the box, avoiding the clothes scattered on the ground and the random stuff that cluttered around her. Her fingers grazed the polished wooden box admiring its smooth surface. With the tips of her fingers she opened it, in awe as she saw a metal disk that began to turn, and as she looked at the bottom of the lid was surprised to see a picture of a lake.

Why a lake? The picture looked fairly clear, it couldn’t be more than a few years old. She slowly sat on the bed, looking at the image as the metal disk was plucked into a very interesting tune. It sounded so light, pretty, but also sad. Mara continued to stare at the picture and listen, her eyes slowly becoming hazed as she drifted into her own thoughts. The song was detailing love and loss, the way it fell and rose up from calm and delayed to light and playful. It was probably hundreds of years old but the song played so elegantly.

“The fuck are you doing?!”

She quickly stumbled to get off the bed and her heart was threatening to beat out of her chest as she looked to Jeff. He stood with probably the most hateful glare he had and rushed over to close the music box, nervously Mara backed away and watched as he shouted at her.

“What kind of person are you?! You can’t just go into people’s rooms as you’d like! Especially not a CP’s room!” 

“Jeff i’m sorry.” Mara said quickly, feeling her voice hitch.

Jeff’s mood seemed to suddenly shift, watching her with confusion but still frustration. “What are you doing in here..”

This was a demand, Mara knew this room was a bad idea. “I..you’ll think I’m crazy if I tell you..”

“I want a damn answer, I don’t give a fuck if it makes you sound nuts.” Jeff shrugged, stuffing his hands into his coat pockets.

“um..Kage said that I could tell the rooms by feeling them..like telling whose room is-” She spoke as she wiped the gathering tears in her eyes.

“Ugh I get it. You got curious and stumbled in here right?” Jeff growled. “That doesn’t excuse shit though. You don’t just go wandering into people’s room and touch their shit!”

“I didn’t know Jeff!” Mara objected quickly. “It..it just felt..safe here.”

Jeff’s head tilted a bit as now he looked more perplexed than ever, a frown clear on his face despite the carved smile. “Safe? That’s a fucking joke..”

She flinches as he huffed and sat on the bed, staring at the box. Mara’s brain did a sudden recall on everything she’s learned about Jeff. But even then, he knew things she didn't know about herself. Cautiously she sat on the other side, repeating to herself not to be scared, and show him no fear. Her words reassuring her he’d do nothing to her, as she turned her back to him.

“Life sucks huh?” Mara quipped.

“Fucking no shit..” Jeff muttered back, not even glancing to her.

“Can you get through one outburst without cursing?” Mara huffed, resting her head on the palm of her hand as her elbow dug into her knee.

“You looking for a fight?” Jeff hissed back, turning to her momentarily but surprised by how relaxed she seemed. “Shouldn’t you be clinging to the proxies or something?”

“Would it make you feel better if I did?” She questioned looking at him, her violet eyes staring right through his.

Jeff quickly turned away and scoffed, giving a shrug as his answer as he slowly moved his fingers to the music box. She watched as he seemed to just brush along the wood, never opening the box. “Did..someone give that to you?”

“Yeah..on a special day.” Jeff spoke softly, almost longingly.

The silence was awkward for both of them, Mara didn’t know if she should push it. “Do..do you..um want to talk about it?”

Jeff remained silent but slowly brought the box into his lap. “It was a gift from someone I care about, or used to anyways.”

Mara turned to look at him as he kept his hands on it, but refused to do anything else with it. “Used to?”

“We uh..we had to split apart because of..complications.” Jeff hissed, his tone reflecting both anger and hurt.

Mara thought and it dawned on her. “You had a lover?”

He scoffed. “If you can call it love, more like he was constantly trying to be a kiss-ass and I was trying to do my own thing.” 

Mara couldn’t help but giggle and turned around to sit next to Jeff, looking at the box. “I see, a love and hate relationship?”

“Not really hate..I just don’t know about romance.” Jeff shrugged. “But..monsters can’t be with anyone.”

She could practically see his heart being torn at the words, but she had no idea Jeff was this open..maybe he wasn’t and she just was an outlet? Slowly she moved a hand to the box, getting a defensive reflex from him as he grabbed her wrist tightly. She looked to him and asked. “Is it easier..speaking with me because you don’t know me?”

Jeff let go of her wrist and sighed. “No, it’s easier because I know you..but it fucking sucks you can’t remember. Why?”

“I wish I knew Jeff, but I don’t..trying to remember anything at a young age hurts my head.” Mara grieved a little.

Jeff simply nodded and set the box aside. “I know you didn’t come here to ask about the box..so what do you want?”

The moment he asked she noticed how his gaze remained on his lap, never looking at her, was he upset at her? Most likely..

“I want to know what you know about me.” Mara said. “I honestly think it’s shitty..you guys can’t be with loved ones, I have to lie to my friends and family, and I can’t remember shit.”

Jeff’s attention was caught this time, finally looking at her with surprise. But his gaze quickly averted and he laid back on his bed, arms folded behind him to prop his head up and his legs still hanging over the side.

“There’s not too much to say. You were like 10 or something.” Jeff huffed, watching the ceiling.

“There’s got to be more than than, you were kicking up a fuss the first time we met..again.” Mara replied, crossing her arms.

“Fine you bitch..” Jeff growled, but she knew there was no malice behind his insult. “When you were a kid, we CP’s were already finding people we loved and having a fucking peachy life. I first met you outside of the 7/11, you had no money, barely any food, and you were damn resourceful.”

The 7/11..she remembered her odd episode that happened when she offered to buy Lou something. “Did..you give me something?”

“Yeah, a Hershey’s bar.” Jeff brushed off. “And then I met you a couple times afterwards. Once you went into the forest-” He sat up for a moment and glared. “Stupid idea by the way-”

“Continue Jeff.” Mara grumbled back with a hard glare of her own.

“Point is, you were open minded, kind, and...skilled at sneaking around. Hell you could’ve made an awesome CP if you weren’t so understanding..” He sighed and his voice was softer this time. “You never wanted to hurt anyone, you wanted to help people, you wanted to help us. Then one day you just vanished.”

Mara thought carefully, trying not to strain her brain. “I..after I was adopted we moved away for a couple years before coming back..you guys probably just didn’t know.”

Jeff grunted in reply and looked away. “Yeah well..you’re still not the Mara I knew..”

Those words hurt both of them, the pain masked in Jeff’s voice and the sting of guilt rising in Mara’s throat. They re-entered silence and Mara stood up from the bed, opening the music box again. The action actually made Jeff shoot up and nearly slammed the music box close but Mara grabbed his hand. She watched as he gave her a glare that meant he could kill if he wanted to, but then turned to look at the picture.

“Jeff, I may not remember my past, but that’s why I need your help. Everyone’s help. I want to know, and I want to help you guys. After the CP purge, i’m going to the council to talk to them about you guys.” Mara swore, gripping his hand tightly to make sure he looked at her.

He stared with his dark eyes but then huffed, moving his hand away. “Whatever..if you need something you know how to find me..”

Mara smiled and left the room, on her next mission to interact with more CP’s. As soon as she left Jeff stared longingly at the box, letting the song play as he looked at the lake. “She’s going to change things..I know it..”

Downstairs she was surprised to see a few CPs watching a movie, Lorien wasted no time flying over and watching the movie from a nearby chandelier. She smiled at this and walked closer to the couch before leaning over the back of it. “What movie is this?”

“It’s Candyman, wanna join?” Toby said, looking up at her with a smile and a bowl of popcorn.

“Uh sure..” Mara mutters, looking for a place to sit and taking a seat next to Laughing Jack on the floor.

She watched, thankful they were still at the start. She liked movies, but when it came to horror she was incredibly picky in the sense that some were too cliche or mindless murder. She liked the ones with an actual story and having a background to go with them. Although she was kind of surprised by the older choice in movie. While watching a few CP’s were chuckling back and forth about the “stupid humans” and how they could’ve avoided the attack, or how awesome Candyman was. At one moment she froze as LJ leaned to her and whispered. 

“I think my guts are more interesting than his bees. What do you think?”

Mara was startled, unsure if he was serious or just trying to strike up a conversation. What was it that he had? Candy for guts? Or was it roaches? Or maybe he didn’t have anything and he was actually messing with her?

Hearing him chuckle she looked over and jolted back at the close proximity of his nose. “I’m just kidding Mara, it’s a joke.”

The group “watched” together as Mara just sat silently, trying to enjoy the movie. At one moment she spotted her chance to leave and walked to the kitchen for some water. Upon entering the kitchen she tilted her head when she saw Sally on a stool, reaching for a jar. Mara let a chuckle escape her lips as she walked over and grabbed the jar for Sally. “Cookies huh?”

Sally jumped a little as she looked up at Mara and her cheeks flushed a rosy red as she climbed off the stool. “Yeah..but please don’t tell Slender!” 

Mara winked and gave her one of the cookies. “I won’t tell~” 

Sally giggled and happily took the cookie, and Mara took one for herself to eat before setting the jar back. “Are you going to bed soon?”

The little killer tilted her head in confusion. “What do you mean? I only woke up an hour ago.”

Mara looked at the time that read 9:40 pm and smacked her head with the hand that was empty. “Right..sorry, I forgot most of you are nocturnal.” 

“That’s ok~!” Sally giggled, finishing up her cookie quickly and brushing the crumbs off her face. “Are you going to stay here now?”

“uh..I-um..it’s..” Mara wanted to explain the whole situation but didn’t know how to summarize that she was the only person that can save them from a catastrophe that no one besides Slender and Zalgo knew about. “For a little while.”

“Yay! That means you and I have to play together!” Sally bounced in place, playing with the hem of her dress.

“Sure Sal.” Mara smiled, finishing her cookie and wiping her hand on her shorts. “In the meantime, do you know someone that can tell me stories of the Creepypastas?”

Sally stopped bouncing and looked to the floor, humming a little as she tapped her index finger on her chin. “well..Bloody Painter might know some. Or Slender. Oh! Or there’s Papa Grande! He’s really silly!”

“Papa Grande huh? I don’t think I’ve heard of him..” Mara said, bending down a bit and asking Sally. “Could you take me to him?”

“Yeah! He doesn’t live here normally, but Slender said it was an emergency that everyone gathers here for a few weeks. I think I remember where his room is.” Sally bounced and took Mara’s left hand, practically skipping as she started leading Mara to the stairs.

Mara remembered Sally’s story, it was easy considering she was the youngest in the CP legends. It was ridiculous, what kind of parents don’t listen to their daughter when she says that she was raped? It seemed that most of the adults in CP stories were either too late or too stupid to save these CPs. Before she knew it, she was lead to a door that was decorated in black with purple lines that curled into a unique design, and the feeling of it was..dark, very dark and mournful.

“Well good luck!” Sally giggled as she let go and ran off.

Mara was about to stop her, but Sally was already running downstairs. Mara turned back to the door and gulped, moving a hand over the handle of the door and opening it slowly. As it creaked open she was greeted with a foul stench but beautiful lights. The room smelled like rot, but it was practically glittering with lights that you would see at a carnival, and the wallpaper was stripes of white and purple. Slowly she stepped into the room, her stomach felt cold as she covered her nose from the smell.

The room didn’t have a bed, there was a deck of cards, knives, and small balls for tricks set on top of a wooden desk. Leaning up against the wall was a coffin and in the center of the room, a trick box that was used for the “sawing people in half” trick. But this didn’t seem like a trick, it was closed and the purple and red box was stained in blood. She was going to hurl soon.

“H-hello? Papa grande? My name is-”

The coffin swung open, making Mara scream and jump back as a man stepped out. She backed up towards the door but stopped as the man just stretched and yawned. He looked at her, his long silverish-white hair loosely laying on his shoulders, his eyes tired light green eyes looking over her. “My my, it’s rather rude to intrude into someone’s room without knocking.”

“Yeah I’m..starting to get that more and more..” Mara mumbled to him. And yet she keeps making the same stupid mistake.. “I’m Mara.”

“I am the amazing Papa Grande~!” He bowed to her, then stood up and grabbed a cape and his hat from a hanger. “What do you need from me?”

“I wanted some..stories about the CPs. Not the survivor or death stories, but..” Mara glanced away for a second. “Of more current times?”

“Stories of more current times?” He raised a brow as he looked over his stage knives. “Such as?”

“B-before people had to leave their lovers.” Mara spat out quickly, looking at him.

Grande blinked, then a large smile graced his face in almost a twisted grin. “ah..Ha-Ha-Ha!” 

The laugh caught Mara off guard and now she was wondering if she said something stupid. She waited quietly as he finished and he took a breath, taking three large steps to get up close to her. Mara jolted as she backed up to the door quickly and Lorien flew off her head to get in front of his face, hissing at Grande. Grande smirked and hissed back at Lorien before backing off. “I see, you want to know the era of peace~”

“Uh..sure..” Mara panted, letting out the breath she didn’t realize she was holding.

“Alright.” Grande shrugged and moved back behind the magic box. “Well, there are a lot of stories little girl. I’m afraid you’ll have to be more specific.”

“I just want to know why you guys were separated, Slender mentioned something about relics and other universes where..well the council had done something horrible to you all.” Mara tried to explain, letting Lorien cuddle into her hair.

“hmm..I don’t know what you mean by other universes or relics.” Grande tilted his head. “Although if those have to do with Slender i’m afraid he’s a very secretive man. You won’t find out anything about the council without going to him.”

“Great..” Mara sighed. “I feel like I’m being looped around on a roller coaster..”

Grande walked back over to her and pointed to Lorien. “Then use him.”

Lorien and Mara perked up, looking at each other for a second before Mara cautiously asked. “What do you mean?”

“He is a dream demon.” Grande pointed out. “Dream demons do not only eat or influence dreams. He can also transfer them to you.”

“So..if someone was sleeping, Lorien can just let me see into their dream?” Mara tilted her head. Lorien mimicked the head tilt and this made Grande chuckle.

“Yes, but there’s a catch, you need to be sleeping too.” Grande added.

“Shit.” Mara crossed her arms. “Fucking one step forward and three steps back..well, thanks for the advise Grande.”

“Goodbye little pigeon!” Grande waved as she walked out.

Mara began to make her way back downstairs, she smiled as Lorien flew out from her hair and spun around all the lights. “Well Lorien, I’m really glad I picked you now. When I go to sleep tonight, do you think you can get me into someone’s dreams?”

“Si!” Lorien chirped out, making Mara laugh. 

“You know Spanish?”

“Ja!” He chirped again and landed on her hand.

Mara tilted her head and shrugged. “well..I’ll just talk to Slender about all this.”

Downstairs seemed to have gotten noisier with all the CP’s active and twice the amount of people that there was at dinner. Or..breakfast? Many of them were chatting or watching TV, but some seemed to be getting ready to leave. Mara carefully walked past several of the CP’s to find Slender, but was bumped into one of the CP’s when Smile Dog ran into her leg. She fell face first into someone’s chest and quickly backed off when she felt something wet on her cheek.

“Are you ok Mara?” A soft voice asked.

Her eyes quickly noticed the masked man, with a long blood smile over the white surface. “Y-yeah! Sorry Bloody Painter!”

“It’s alright. Um, you have blood on your cheek though.” He pointed with his gloved hand.

She hesitantly brought her hand to her cheek and wiped off the blood but hearing him sigh she stopped. “I should probably just wash it off huh?”

“Good thought, otherwise you’ll just smear it more.” He said and began to walk away.

“Wait!” Mara called out quickly, grabbing his wrist.

Mara’s body froze when she felt the violent jump from Bloody Painter, who also quickly turned to look at her and wrenched his hand away from her. “What?”

“Sorry, um..where is Slender?” She asked awkwardly and tucked her hands behind her.

“In his office.” He replied, pointing down the hall. “Second door on the left.”

“Ah thanks!” Mara spoke quickly and sped past him, taking a breath and looking at Lorien as he flew in front of her. “That was weird..”

“Hai!” Lorien cried back and flew ahead of her to the door. Mara smiled and opened the door, noticing Slender immediately at his desk. His head tilted up to the sound of the door opening and Mara stepped inside, closing the door behind her.

“Slender, why does Lorien speak different languages but only one word?” Mara asked, sitting in one of the chairs.

Slender set his notebook aside and sat up. “It’s most likely because he’s only a young demon. If he were mature he would be almost as tall as me.”

Mara’s eyes widened a little. “Really? But, that doesn’t explain the languages, that's why he’s small.”

“The reason for the languages may be from the dreams he’s consumed, he’s learned the languages through dreams.” Slender added. “Is there something else you wanted to know?”

“Well, a place to sleep..and an explanation of the different universes from the relics..and..” Mara’s words came to a halt as Slender leaned forward a little.

“And the reason the Council is harsh..” Slender sighed and stood. “I don’t have to read your mind to see that still bugs you.”

“It’s just not fair, if they feel love then the CP’s have a right to it!” Mara said, standing up, although she could never compare to Slender’s height.

“Child.” Slender said firmly, that left Mara silent before he continued. “You grew up in a society of free will, or will you can fight for. The CP’s are under these rules for a reason. In life there must always be chaos. If the CP’s are distracted..well they could be more human and then there would be no hunters for the humans.”

“That’s what you all are? Just..exterminators? Humans cause enough damage to the environment and themselves, why would you need to add bloodshed to that?” Mara asked, her expression softer in confusion.

“Mara, long ago the original purpose of CP’s were people without mercy. We control human population, but it’s gotten out of control. Then when they started falling in love, or doing their own thing, the humans got out of control.” Slender explained.

“But why can’t you have both? The humans are out of control because they fuck like rabbits and have better life insurance.” Mara practically was shouting at Slender now.

“Mara!” Slender growled, and a ripping of flesh made Mara jump back as a mouth appeared on Slender. “Do not argue with me, this is just how it must be!”

Mara backed away a bit and Lorien ducked into her hair again, Mara was trying to catch her breath as Slender’s mouth formed back together into his smooth faceless head. He sighed mentally and opened his door. “You may use my room tonight..I have work to do.”

He vanished and Mara nervously walked over to his long bed, slipping her shoes off and laying down on the bed. Lorien moved out of her hair and crooned quietly to Mara, who smiled and folded up a hand towel that was left on the nightstand. Lorien cuddled on top of it and looked at Mara, she knew what he was thinking. “Get me to a CP’s dream Lorien..”


	11. Dream Sequence

Chapter 11- Dreams Sequence

Dreams were never something Mara really had anymore, it would be lights out and then wake up in the morning as normal. Just darkness to light, or very small flashes of the dream would run in her head for one minute as she woke up. Logically speaking, people dream every night, but your brain will only retain a small percentage of dreams. But now with a dream demon it was a new story.

At first it was just blackness that greeted her, but then she was greeted by flashing blue lights. Mara looked at herself, noticing she was still in the clothing that she fell asleep in, but around her seemed to be an alleyway. She faced towards the street where the lights were coming from and walked closer to the blue and silver police car. It was obvious who ever was dreaming was dreaming of a city, but the police car was different colors that was not from her hometown. Taking some initiative, she looked inside the car from the door that was propped open, instantly noticing it was the passenger seat on the left side. 

Mara opened the door and turned on the interior lights as she began looking for a license or something of that sort. She could barely see the letters on the front of the car and unfortunately she couldn’t find a flashlight. But after a few moments she found the cars registration papers, and scanning through them she noticed it was all in German. She noticed the date though saying 19-7-2009, So July 19th 2009, someone was dreaming of the past.

Mara slipped out from the passenger seat and gazed around at the city, and even if it was dark the street lights provided enough to see the old fashioned style houses and apartments. They were lovely to Mara, but maybe that’s because she’s never seen Germany and was a sucker for historical locations. Walking around the vehicle she noticed a bulky, two story house that was decorated with a lot of windows, and the lights were off but the door cracked open. One of the windows were broken wide enough to allow someone to get in, but why was it so quiet then?

Stepping closer she slowly opened the door and turned on the first light switch she could find, surprised by how large the house was. Incredibly roomy, but a chill still went up her spine. “Hello? Creepypasta? My name is Mara and well..this might seem hard to believe but this is all a dream.”

Her voice echoed in the house, making her subconsciously crosses her arms for comfort. She took a few steps more into the house and started walking towards the stairs, continuing to call out. “I’m an ally to the CP’s, but I was hoping to find answers! Maybe about the CP’s past, or the Council.”

Taking a couple steps up the stairs she heard a loud thud, making her look up to the first room on the second floor. Her body froze and although she tried to convince herself this is a dream, she couldn’t help but feel like she was making a mistake in a horror movie. With that in mind she quickly ran to the kitchen and grabbed one of the large kitchen knives and started going up the stairs again. She didn’t know whose dream this was but she questioned if she should tell them she’s armed or not. For all she knew this could be Sally’s dream! 

Finally getting to the second floor she hesitantly opened the door and flicked on the lights fast, holding the knife in her right hand for defense. No one seemed to be in the room, but there was a corpse on the floor, a man seemingly in his thirties or forties with several stab wounds in his chest. That’s normally the sign to get out, but she could now confirm a CP was in here. 

“Look, could you come out? I’m working with you guys, I’ll put the knife down.” Mara announced, kneeling down to set the knife down.

As she stood, still no one came out, not even a noise was made. Mara sighed and turned around, screaming when she saw a man in front of her and reflexively kicked him where the sun doesn’t shine. The man curled over with a grunt and kneeled on the floor as Mara put a hand over her heart and backed up. “Don’t just sneak up on a person!”

“You said you were on our side!” He shouted back with a pained moan.

Mara sighed and helped him up, taking in his features as she lead him downstairs. He wore a beige colored Jacket with a grey hoodie under it, with the hood pulled over his head. His blonde hair stuck out from under the hood and a long, white, beak-like mask over his face. The mask didn’t cover much, she could still see his baby blue eyes, and he wore blue jeans to complete his look. The guy looked like a modern plague doctor from London’s dark times, why was he in Germany?

Mara helped him sit on the couch and gave a small smile. “Sorry about that, you scared the shit out of me.”

“Ugh it’s fine..but I will most likely feel this when I wake up..” He groaned, leaning his head back on the couch.

“How could you feel it?” Mara asked, looking at him, but only getting a side glance from him in return.

“Haven’t you ever seen Nightmare on Elm Street? Essentially the same thing, you get hurt in the dream you’ll be hurt in reality.” 

“Ah got it..So, why are you dreaming of Germany?”

“Eh, probably a house that I robbed and killed someone in.” He shrugged. “Not really sure. There’s been so many places.”

“What’s your name?” Mara asked, finally relaxing and crossing her legs.

He turned to Mara and smirked. “You always this talkative? It’s Isaac. But some people call me Will Grossman.”

No she was never this talkative unless she wanted answers, Mara seethed internally. “Alright Isaac. I don’t think I’ve seen you at the mansion before.”

“That’s because i’m from the under realm. Zalgo found my grave and got me out, fixed me up, and encouraged me to be a killer.” Isaac explained, taking off the mask to not stab Mara’s face with the beak-end. “I’m going to be the best killer in the world! Even better than Jeff the Killer!”

The child-like enthusiasm was encouraging and Mara smiled. “That’s nice..but you have to catch up then..I don’t think I’ve heard your name before.”

He frowned and looked so downcast by the news, sighing he nodded. “I know..but things have been slow lately. Better security in houses, I wish it was back to the good old days without sensor lights and phone alerts.”

Mara patted his shoulder. “Well you’re in luck. Actually, can you send a message to the under realm for me? Slender and I are trying to get CP’s popular again, so all the CP’s at the manor are going through training.”

“Training? Wait, I could train with Jeff?! And the others?!” He exclaimed, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her.

“Y-yes! Stop!” Mara yelled out, taking his hands off her. “Just, invite everyone. The more CP’s the better..you really seemed hooked on Jeff.”

“He’s my idol! His killer instincts and tactics are phenomenal all over the world!” He described, this was like talking to a fan-boy.

Mara chuckled and waved her hand. “Ok ok, look if you convince the under realm to come up for training I’ll introduce you to Jeff. Sound good?”

“Hell yes! One question! Are you a CP? You don’t look mangled or in disguise..” Isaac asked, looking over Mara’s figure with surprise.

“Oh no, I’m human.” At her perplexed face she gave a sheepish smile. “It’s a long story..I don’t have time to explain.”

“Got it. Well, see me in my dream and I’ll tell you Zalgo’s answer!”

“Thanks Isaac.” Mara said, standing up and walking out of the house. “Lorien? Lorien I’m ready to go!”

At the end of her sentence she woke up with a gasp, it felt like her soul was ripped out of her body then suddenly dropped back into it. Mara sat up quickly and looked at Lorien who was nuzzling her shoulder. The little demon looked up at her and gave an expression of worry, making her smile. “I’m alright, you did a good job Lorien.”

Mara took a moment to come to terms with reality before looking at a nearby clock that read 2:45. It’s the 16th now. She laid back, exhausted from the dream and patted Lorien’s head. “One more time buddy. This time let’s try inside the mansion.”

Lorien crooned again and curled up to her before she passed out again. She let the darkness consume her once more and when she was in the void, the void slowly vanished and she was left standing in a red room that was decorated in crystal lights and antique furniture. It looked very fancy, possibly an Italian theme. It was luxurious, whose dream could this be?

“Hello~ I didn’t think you’d show up in my dreams.” 

Mara jumped a good few inches and spun around to see Mrs.P in a long black dress that covered to her feet, and the sleeves stopped at her wrists. Mara could remember a little bit about her, she seemed to be around Grinny a lot and was almost a maternal figure in the mansion. 

“S-sorry but Lorien, my dream demon was letting me walk through dreams.” Mara replied. “I just wanted to see-”

“The CP’s pasts.” She cut me off, walking closer and her neck stretched a bit as she leaned forward to Mara. Making Mara cringe and try to focus only on the woman's face. “Grinny has told me.”

“But he’s a cat..” Mara muttered a little, getting a grin from her.

“Grinny has ways to tell me things. Now what were you expecting to find here?” She asked, sitting in a red chair.

Mara took a seat in a similar chair across from Mrs. P. “Nothing really..Lorien is just sending me to random dreams at the moment..although since I’m here is Grinny and under realm CP or Slender’s Mansion?”

“Not really either..” Mrs. P hummed. “He comes and goes as he pleases, but he has no claimed loyalty to anyone other than me.”

“And..where are your loyalties?” Mara asked nervously.

“With Slender. He’s helped me a lot through the years. Grinny is special, Zalgo uses him when he wants like a puppet and Slender treats him as family. So he has access to most places.” Mrs. P explained briefly.

“And your dream is..” Mar took a second to look around again. “To live in peace?”

She laughed and spoke. “A life of peace, luxury, the life I never had until I met Slender.” 

“Ah I see, well I’ll leave you to your dream.” Mara smiled, standing up. “Sorry about disturbing you.” 

“That’s alright, just a piece of advice though Mara.” Mrs. P suddenly said in a dark tone. “The more dreams you enter the more you may become like us. CP’s lives are meant to be private, you may become too desensitized if you adventure into the wrong places.”

Mara felt shocked by this but nodded and gave a small smile. “I know, I’m probably in over my head but I want to help. I want to know. Lorien, wake me up.”

As her body was once again zapped into reality and she took a couple breaths, this time still laying down as she caught her breath. She glanced at the clock and it read 6:35. She turned to the small demon and smiled as he chirped at her. “I’m alright bud, no more dreams tonight, I want to sleep while I can.”

He nodded and curled back up into a little black dot on the side of the bed before Mara drifted off again into her sleep. The dream was nothing more than a blank space to her as the hours rolled by, but feeling someone shaking her she jolted awake and looked up at Slender. “Mara, it’s 11:30. I figured you wouldn’t want to sleep any longer than that.”

Oh boy how he was wrong, she wanted to sleep longer. “Thanks Slender..it’s probably best I get up now. I need to be ready for my parents party.”

Slender nodded. “My brother is expecting you, he’s in the dining room. And I have some food for you.”

“Thanks.” Mara replied and groaned at the feeling of sleeping in dirty clothes. “You have a shower nearby?”

“The closest one is upstairs, first floor, fifth door down on the right side.” Slender answered, getting a look from Mara.

“How many floors are in this mansion?” 

“Four total. Including the downstairs but not the basement.” Slender answered shortly and then left the room.

Mara sighed and decided to take her shower after eating and got up, groaning as she stretched. She looked over the lines that were left on her body from her shorts and a tank top. “Might have been better if I slept naked..”

She picked up Lorien carefully in her hands and grabbed her purse before leaving the room and walking to the dining room, her eyes still droopy and her brain not that active. She took a seat at the table and Slender set a plate of eggs and bacon in front of her which made her wake up a bit more as she set Lorien to the side and began to eat. Lorien slowly woke up at the smell of food and Slender placed a peeled orange in front of him, making him bounce up in excitement. She only looked up when Trender sat across her in his messy clothes. 

“You ok Trender?” Mara asked with a groggy voice.

“Yes, I just wanted you to try on your dress before I went to bed.” He said, excited but still tiredness in his voice.

“Oh god I’m sorry, but you already saw the dress on me it fits just fine.” Mara suddenly switched to concern.

“I know but I love to see my work when it’s done, a couple girls offered to help with makeup and hair.”

“Ah well..thank you, I’ve just got to shower. But I really don’t wear-”

“They insist.” Trender added calmly. “When you’re done showering just come to my room, the girls are already picking out cosmetics.”

Mara just nodded, knowing she wasn’t going to get out of it now. She quickly finished her food and picked up Lorien and the orange as she went upstairs to shower. She didn’t bother to worry about her clothes since she’ll be wearing a dress afterwards. Mara went up to the bathroom, setting Lorien on the counter top as she started to undress. The bathroom itself was a white tile bathroom as most would be, and the shower was large with two glass doors and a collection of different bottles around the floor beside it. It was fairly clean which surprised her.

She got the shower started and stripped off her clothes as she stepped in, but the entire time showering she was reeling internally. Mainly because she hated her parents parties and she’d have to wear a dress now because of her injured legs. Plus how the hell was she going to play these CP’s off as her friends? Jay doesn’t seem like he’ll be a problem but he’s very quiet. And Zero..she’s unpredictable. Also her parents knew she didn’t have more than two or three friends, so she needed to make up a story. Something she knew damn well she wasn’t good at, anyone would be able to tell she’s lying.

Mara’s shower was done before she knew it and got out, wrapping a towel around herself as she took a good look at herself in the mirror. Her violet eyes were still shined with their mystery and beauty, but purple was starting to affect the skin under them. Her sleeping pattern has been out of whack since she was dragged into this. Her skin still pale but now her body littered with past and current scars from the CP’s. All together she looked like she was attacked by dogs and didn’t sleep, she could’ve done worse. 

Now feeling refreshed she started to dry off and got back into her original clothes, Lorien was playing in the small puddles of water left from her shower. The combination of the shower and Lorien’s playfulness made her wake up more and she picked him up before heading to Trender’s room. It was easier this time to find it, especially since the door was wide open with voices of gossip inside. 

Taking a breath Mara stepped inside and Trender looked to her. “Ah welcome Mara! Do you know these girls yet?”

He tapped the heads of two girls that stood in front of him, one brunette who had bright yellow eyes and blood tears trailing down. The other girl was a white haired, bright blue eyed girl that had a similar complexion to a ghost. Both looked around the same age of teens to early 20’s, but it’s hard to tell with CP’s.

“No I haven’t..” Mara forced a smile. “I’m Mara.”

“I’m Nightmare Ally! But please, just Ally.” The blue eyed girl spoke, giving a big smile to Mara.

“And my name is Kate. Killing Kate is my Creepypasta name.” The yellow eyed girl said.

“Nice to meet you, so, what should I do? Just sit and let you guys take over or..?” Mara asked awkwardly, getting giggles from the girls.

“Go ahead and get into the dress first Mara, then we’ll do make up and hair.” Trender said, pushing Mara behind the curtain and handing her the dress.

“You said it would only be-!” Mara was about to complain but he closed the curtain and she sighed. “No choice, got it.”

Getting the dress on was a snap. Letting the girls put makeup on her and do her hair? It took 2 hours! This is why Mara hated makeovers! She couldn’t even look in the mirror yet! Mara sat there, trying to be patient but each minute made it harder to do so. Even Lorien was chittering around her and she couldn’t tell what he was so excited about. The only reason she wasn’t losing it was that Ally gave Mara her phone to watch something, but she wasn’t allowed to see what she looked like.

“Annnd~ done!” Ally called out and looked to Trender. “What do you think?”

“Hmm, do you think we should have done more with her hair..?” Trender questioned, his index finger curled around his chin in thought.

“There is something missing.” Kate pointed out as she took a step back, at this point, Mara had turned the phone off.

“Oh! I got it! Ally do you think you can see if Judge or Sadie have some jewelry?” Trender snapped his fingers.

“I’ll go see!” Ally replied and ran off.

“Can I please see what you guys did to me now?” Mara whined to Trender and Kate. She wasn’t sure she could take the suspense.

“Go ahead, we’re just getting jewelry last anyways.” Kate shrugged. “But I think we did pretty damn well.”

Mara turned in her seat towards the tri-mirror and froze at her appearance. The dress of course was still the same violet and black lace mermaid dress, but her hair had been made wavy by one of the girls hair irons. The one lock of hair that crossed over her left eye had been added to the wavy hair so her eye was no longer covered. Surprising to Mara, they only made a wing design of the black eyeliner, but only small wings to make it simple and modest. Small amounts of foundation blended into her skin to hide any scratches or blemishes on her skin and her lips were a glossy black along with her nails that were now filed. 

“What do you think Mara?” Trender asked, stepping closer.

“It’s...incredible, i-” Mara spun around and looked at Kate and Trender. “Thank you.”

Kate grinned at her and chuckled. “Wow, you really never wear this kind of stuff do you? Not that I can blame you, it takes too much time.”

“Yeah, well..still thank you.” Mara nodded and then looked to Ally as she ran in with a box.

“Got Judge angel’s jewelry Trender!” Ally smiled. 

“Great! Oh, Kate please grab the shoes for Mara. And Mara please stay seated.” Trender said as he began looking through the box.

Mara remained seated and Kate brought over a pair of black wedge shoes and helped Mara put them on. Kate noticed the tense look on Mara’s face which only made her chuckle. “Damn you really never dress up do you?”

“Not as often as my mother would like.” Mara replied with a small smile. “And you’re only like 15 you can’t tell me you’re used to this.”

Kate put her hands up in surrender. “You’re right, but there’s no need to be nervous.”

Ally walked over and draped a necklace in front of Mara, clipping it around her neck as it set against Mara’s chest right above the dip in her cleavage. It was a simple silver chain with a purple amethyst in the center in the shape of a crystal. Mara carefully touched the necklace before looking at the three and smiling, standing up slowly to test her balance. “Thank you guys, really.”

“Of course, now head downstairs. We already have Jay and Zero ready and downstairs.” Trender said then moved to his bed. “Good luck! I’m going to bed.”

Ally and Kate quickly hurried her out of the room, but when Lorien flew towards Mara with a sad expression she asked. “What about Lorien? I don’t want to leave him here alone.”

The girls looked at the demon for a second before Ally unceremoniously grabbed Lorien and set in on the top of my head where it would’ve looked like a clip holding my extra lock back. “There! Now get going, it’s already around 2:30.”

Mara quickly made her way downstairs and was greeted with a low whistle. She looked up and blushed when she not only saw Zero and Jay, but a handful of others too. LJ was the one that whistled but then broke out in a fit of giggles. “Man you three clean up nicely.”

Jay was fixing up the collar of his white shirt then looked at Mara. “Do we look presentable enough?”

Mara looked Jay over real quick, hair was cleaned and combed, wearing black slacks, a white shirt, and black shoes. To make up for the bags under his eyes there was clearly foundation added. Better than nothing and she nodded. “Yes you look good Jay.”

“And me! Come on girl!” Zero called out with a laugh, she twirled around. “It’s nothing fancy like yours but it’s my favorite!”

Zero’s dress was made of two layers, the top layer a dark grey that had one thick strap crossing over her left shoulder, and trailed down to her knees. The first layer was pinned up in the middle by a gold button that showed the fluffy second layer of light grey. It did look lovely, and hopefully no one would comment on her extremely pale skin. She had some makeup to cover up her stitches, but Mara was hoping it would be enough.

“You look lovely Zero.” Mara said and started walking to the door. “Come on, better that we start walking.”

“Good luck to you guys.” Masky commented. “And Jay, if there’s trouble go ahead and call us.”

Jay nodded and Mara was stopped when Ben walked over to her. He handed her a small paper that had a number written down. “Contact me when you’re in, i’ll slip through the nearest screen and help get the computer files hacked.”

“Got it, thanks Ben.” Mara replied, slipping the paper into her purse.

Soon the three left the mansion, Mara letting Zero and Jay lead them out of the forest. As they walked Zero looked back and asked. “So, what do we have to do there? We don’t have any business majors or anything.”

“Just..make something up, tell them you’re going to school for something.” Mara shrugged.

“How about this?” Jay spoke. “Zero is a friend of mine from a photography class, she wants to be a model and I wanted to be a film artist.”

“Oh Jay~ you’re so nice!” Zero laughed, nudging him with her arm. “But that sounds good. Better that then trying to come up with a complicated fake business.” 

“Just as a heads up, my parents might find you two odd, only because I’ve never really had friends.” Mara stated. “If they ask, just say we met at the Eden Sanctuary club.”

“Ok captain!” Zero saluted and continued to walk out from the forest.

They made it out of the forest with no problem and Mara took the lead from there to the mansion, a couple times she had to hush Lorien and make him lay flat against her head. The sun was hot and Mara was getting nervous the closer she got to the manor, and hoping to god that the dress wouldn’t be covered in sweat when she was done with the party. Jay seemed to catch on and walked beside her, asking softly. “Are you alright?”

“Y-yeah, just nervous..I don’t want to hurt my parents, but this is for you guys.” Mara stuttered in return.

“Look I don’t know what Slender wants you to do, but there’s a reason he trusts you.” Jay explained. “So, we trust you as well.”

Mara smiled softly and looked at Zero when the pale killer placed a supportive hand on her shoulder. Taking a deep breath Mara nodded. “Ok. Let’s get this done.”


	12. Stealth Strategy

Mara was able to blend perfectly into the crowd as she made her way to the entrance of the manor, Jay and Zero staying close behind her. Many of her father's workers gave Mara a friendly “hello” but grimaced at the two behind her. Making it to the guard, who was named Allen, he gave Mara a nod.

“Good evening Miss Mara, you’re here earlier than the last few parties.” Allen commented.

Mara shrugged and smiled. “Well, maybe it was time things changed Allen. Uh, these are my new friends, Zero and Jay.”

Jay only nodded to Allen but Zero enthusiastically took Allen’s hand to shake. “A pleasure~ and might I say Allen, love the suit.”

Mara was holding back a laugh at Zero’s obvious flirting, but she knew it was an act. Allen seemed disturbed by Zero and pulled his hand back. “Well, you three have fun.”

“Thanks Allen.” Mara nodded, not in the proper dress to bow or curtsy.

Inside the manor was already filling up with people from different divisions and parts of her father’s contracts. The room was furnished, the crystal chandeliers were lit up, and music was playing. Her parents always liked old fashioned jazz so that’s what would play most of the time. Mara looked around before going to one of the side rooms, there’s no way her family would have gone upstairs. 

“Wow, Mara you didn’t tell us you were rich.” Zero chuckled as she looked at all the vases and paintings around the house. 

“My parents are, I’m not.” Mara huffed. Not that she needed a big house anyways.

“So..what do your parents look like?” Jay questioned, getting close to Mara. Mara took another look around the current room which was just a family room, many people already gathered and just sitting on the couches. But one of her family pictures were up on the wall, the one taken when she first arrived. 

Mara looked over her younger self, her hair tied up in a bun and she was wearing a blue kids dress. Her mother, wearing her white knee-length dress with a white coat around her, and white high heels. Mara always thought her mother looked well in any case, always wearing a string of pearls like the one in the picture and her 5 carat diamond ring shining proudly as her hand was placed over Mara’s shoulder. Everyone said that her mother was always defined as the most elegant woman in her youth, her long blonde hair curled over her right shoulder, her blue eyes vibrant in the image. And of course, as people would want, she wore her red lipstick and makeup for societies needs.

“Holy shit that’s your mom?” Zero commented. “She’s very beautiful! What’s her name?”

“Helen..her name is Helen.” Mara replied. “This was taken a couple of days after I arrived.. This actually was posted in the paper as a “possible successor” for my parents businesses.” 

“And your father?” Jay asked, looking at the picture.

Her father was a simple man, and at the time his company was starting to get lots of attention, and marrying her mother helped them get a mansion and Mara. In the image he was a clean cut man, no beard, and his dark brown hair combed and slicked back. His eyes intimidated most people with how green they were. He didn’t bother wearing a lot of accessories, just his cufflinks for his black suit. The suit itself was simple, a black suit that was well trimmed, black slacks, fancy black shoes, and a black tie over his white under shirt.

Mara didn’t notice before but the picture looked planned, her mother wearing mostly white and her father wearing black, but she was wearing blue. “His name is Roger. So look out for these two, but you know..older. My father has a small beard growing and my mother cut her hair shorter, about neck length.”

The two CP’s nodded and then all three began walking around the manor’s first floor for her parents. Jay had to slap Zero’s hand away from stealing items from the mansion, and while they walked Mara had to give a short “hello” to people as they passed. Finally, reaching the backyard, which was all lit up and the plants in bloom, she found her parents sitting on one of the white benches. Her mother noticed her immediately and got up, gasping in surprise.

“Mara! Darling you look amazing!” Her mother cooed as she went over to hug Mara. 

Mara shyly returned the hug and blushed as the businessmen and women turned to look over. “Hey mom, thanks. I had a friend help me pick it out.”

“There’s my little moonbeam.” Roger spoke and hugged Mara and Helen. “My you look so beautiful, what changed for this year?”

“Ah well see-” Mara stumbled on her words before quickly moving to Zero and Jay. “mom, dad, these are a couple new friends of mine. Jay and Zero.”

Helen gave a perplexed look but smiled. “I see, welcome you two. It’s not often my daughter brings her friends over.”

“Indeed. So what do you two do?” Roger added along, also looking surprised.

“Ah, I’m in filming school.” Jay spoke up. “Zero and I have been in a photography class together, then once night we heard about the Eden Sanctuary.”

Zero took the torch and smiled. “After a couple drinks we got to chatting with Mara~”

“And what do you do dear?” Helen asked Zero with a soft smile, but was analyzing behind her blue eyes.

“Oh I’m training to be a model!” Zero’s voice was silvery.

Mara smiled to herself, maybe these two can pull it off after all. Her father spoke again with a smile. “Well you two help yourself to some beverages and food, and Mara don’t go disappearing ok? Some of my workers really want to meet you.”

Of course they do..her parents had a bad habit of gushing to people about her because they wanted Mara to be in the business or to at least date someone. “Ok dad.”

Her parents walked back to the group and Mara quickly muttered to the CP’s. “go ahead and enjoy yourselves for now. I’m going to look for my dad’s computer.”

“Got it.” Zero nodded and walked towards the groups of people to talk to.

Jay looked at Mara. “if there’s guards get Zero, if it’s locked then get me.”

Mara nodded and quickly made her way to the spiral steps at the main hall, pulling her dress up a bit as she walked up the red carpet steps. She was thankful to be in a mansion with only three floors that she knew how to navigate. The third floor was bedrooms for her family and the servants, the only other room upstairs was the game room for her dad’s friends to play pool and watch TV. The second floor would be the office, a large room-sized closet, the fitness room, and many others. The bedroom is the first place to check, walking up to the large doors there was a guard in front of them, but Mara stopped a familiar face.

“Hello miss Mara.” The butler, Nick, spoke up. He was a butler in the last couple years of her staying home.

“Ah, hey Nick. Say Nick, could I go into my parents room real quick? I want to leave a surprise gift for them.” Mara smiled to the older butler.

“Of course Mara.” He bowed and smiled, going to the guard in front of her parents' room and taking him for a brief second before the guard used a key to unlock the door.

Mara walked in quickly and pretended to take something from her purse as she looked around the room. Her dad was always careful with his tech, so there’s no way he would’ve hid it in the closet or under the bed. Seeing nothing she quickly set a quarter on their nightstand and left the room, thanking the guard and Nick. 

“Ok not there..” Mara mumbled, moving around the corner for a second. “There has to be an easier way to find it..”

“Me!” Lorien screeched suddenly from her head and made Mara quickly cover him with her hand as a maid passed. Mara smiled and waved to her before sighing and taking Lorien off her head. 

“Lorien you have to be quiet!” She whispered to him. “What did you mean by me?”

Lorien flew from her hand and moved to one of the nearest doors, flying under the crack in the door and then flying back out. Mara smiled and carefully cupped him in her hands. “I didn’t know you can do that. Great idea! Lorien, start searching the rooms, come find me when you find my dad’s computer.”

Lorien squeaked then flew off, staying close to the ceiling. Mara decided to head downstairs in the meantime, she went to the kitchen to see if any of the servants can help her get some information. Before she even reached the door there was a crash and a scream, followed by laughter. “Oh god no..”

Opening the door Mara’s worry was confirmed when she saw Zero sitting on the counter and looking over some of the china plates, a maid was cleaning up glass that was on the floor, probably a cup Zero knocked off. Mara rolled her eyes and went to the maid, helping her clean up the glass which made her freeze. “It’s alright miss I can-”

“Let me help.” Mara interrupted and glared at Zero. “what happened?”

“Whaaat? She was bossing me around saying I could take more food samples. And then I was just looking at the plates and she snapped at me.” Zero explained lazily, eating one of deviled eggs.

Mara sighed. “Zero, by look you mean touch and by snap you mean she was just shy. Get off the counter and go back out to the party. Dinner will be out soon enough.”

Zero huffed and left the kitchen, then Mara focused back to the maid and helped her pick up the last pieces. “Sorry about her, she’s a bit wild.”

“I-i thought she was going to steal something, i’m s-sorry mistress.” The maid stuttered, she was clearly new, maybe hired a couple months.

“It’s ok.” Mara smiled, throwing the glass into the garbage. “go on and continue what you were doing, I wont tell my parents.” 

The maid nodded and left the kitchen and Mara took a deep inhale. “Zero’s gonna cause me problems..”

Quickly she left the room and gasps as someone bumps into her. A guy close to her age, perhaps a couple years older, with dark hazel eyes and it startled her to see how much similar he looked to Zac Efron. “Oh geez i’m so sorry!”

His accent is also a throw off, it’s British. “It’s ok sir, I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

He smiled and moved himself and her away from the hall towards the ballroom. “Still I apologize. I’m Jacob Walker.”

Mara walked with him and smiled, politely replying. “Mara Pierce.”

Jacob nodded and they stopped short of where some people were dancing. “Ugh, I can’t stand this..”

Mara looked at him in surprise. “The music? Or the old people dancing?”

“The people really, I actually like jazz but I prefer soul or punk.” Jacob chuckled, looking at Mara. 

Mara grinned. “Well that’s my parents, I like all kinds of music. Except screamo.”

Both chuckled a little awkwardly before Jacob held his palm out to her. “Shall we show them how it’s done?”

Mara felt cold all of a sudden. “N-no thanks i’m not very good at dancing. Especially not in this nightmare of a dress.”

Jacob laughed as she tried to spread her feet apart, only leaving a 1 foot gap between her feet. “Alright, is there somewhere we can talk then?”

Mara thought then nodded. “Follow me.” She didn’t think he was a threat, and although she has never met him before he seemed friendly enough. And a good excuse to leave the party.

Jacob followed as instructed and Mara lead him to the library, closing the door behind him as he gawked at the room. “My you sure are lucky, I have only one shelf and it’s filled with my studies.”

“Well, when you can’t watch a lot of TV, books were the best outlet until I got a computer.” Mara replied, sighing in relief as she sat in one of the brown leather chairs. She watched Jacob as he skimmed the books and asked. “You’re studying for something?”

“Yes, I am going into Law and Order. I plan on being a lawyer.” Jacob replied, not looking away from the books.

“Get out..” Mara gasped, making him look to her in surprise. “I’m studying to be a Detective.”

“Well perhaps we’ll work together on a case.” Jacob laughed and grabbed one of the books, looking it over. “I was invited with my family because, well they are managers of the London company your father made.”

“I see, but you want to go into Law?”

“I’m terrible with computers.” He admitted with a scoff. “I broke one just from viruses.”

Mara couldn’t help but smirk. “From what?”

Jacob looked unsure at first and cleared his throat. “It’s um, it was something personal..”

Mara thought before chuckling in reply. “I broke mine from watching porn.”

Jacob choked on air for a second before he began laughing. “Really? My parents always monitored my stuff.”

“What did your computer break from?” Mara raised a brow, leaning forward in her seat.

“...online games.” He replied sheepishly, making Mara giggle in reply.

Meanwhile Jay was trying to escape every business person he could, it was almost suffocating and he felt like he was going to throw up. A hand grabbed his arm and pulled him off to the side, and he was relieved to see Zero. She leads him to the nearest bathroom and locked the door behind him. “You alright proxy boy?”

“I think I’m going to throw up.” He groaned and turned to the sink, turning the water on and splashing his face. He didn’t give a damn if the bags under his eyes were showing. “Where’s Mara?”

“I haven’t seen her since the kitchen.”Zero huffed, crossing her arms. “I don’t like playing good girl, it’s annoying.”

“Agreed..we need to hurry this mission up.” Jay sighed, wiping his face dry with a towel.

“Without Mara?”

“Without her.” Jay snapped in irritation.

Zero rolled her eyes. “Ok smart guy, where first?”

“Upstairs. Let’s find guards, we find guards we then know where the laptop is.” Jay said opening the door.

Zero crossed her arms and muttered. “Or might be..”

The two quickly got to the second floor, stopping around the corner when Jay spotted a guard in front of one of the doors. He looked around for a second, one guard shouldn’t be an issue, but he looked big, it would take a couple minutes to knock him out. Behind him Zero checked the nearest room and gasped. “What the hell? They have a god damned drawing room? Looks like a model studio..”

“Zero focus.” Jay hissed and looked over at her. “We need to find a computer remember?”

“Look Jay, even if we find it we can’t do anything, Mara is the only one that could possibly know the password.” Zero glared at him.

“We can get Ben. He can go through any computer.” Jay grumbled back.

“Not ones that are security locked and have firewalls!” Zero snapped.

“Hey! You two! What are you doing?” The guard interrupted, making both of them freeze and look at him. “Well?”

“Ah! Sorry we’re new here! Mara said we could look around.” Zero smiled, closing the studio door.

“No guests allowed on the second or third floor.” The guard glared at them.

“Yes sir, sorry to trouble you.” Jay quickly said, grabbing Zero’s wrist and running downstairs. “Couldn’t just keep quiet?”

“Shut it, we need Mara! Why don’t you proxies just trust her?” Zero hissed.

“Proxies have lost trust in anyone but Slender and the Proxy group itself.” Jay glared at her. “We’re not going to let a human lead us.”

Lorien searched through each room quickly, but then seeing Zero and Jay he quickly slipped under the door while the guard was talking to them. He squeaked and looked around carefully, seeing a large silver box on the table. Landing in front of it he noticed it was locked by a four digit code, he chirped in joy and flew out from under the door, but seeing the guards foot in front of him he started to crawl off to the side. From the lack of legs he had no choice but to hop or use his wings to swing himself forward. After moving around the corner Lorien panted with relief, but froze at a low sound.

“Meerrrow..” 

Slowly he looked to his left and saw a big white and grey persian cat. The cat slowly moved closer and sniffed him, lifting a paw near him. Lorien flinched back and started flying up a bit above the cat. The cat just hissed and swiped at him, making Lorien quickly dodge and start flying. “Mara!”

“Oh my god how were you not expelled?!” Mara laughed as she leaned back in her seat.

Jacob was laughing with her. “I call it dumb luck..but that’s why my friend was nicknamed firecracker.”

Mara took a couple breaths and looked at Jacob. “You know this is the first party in many years, that I’m actually enjoying myself.”

“Yes, Well, this is the first time I’ve met a girl with such honesty.” Jacob commented, scratching the side of his head. “And the first party I can actually talk about who I am rather than what I do.”

“Yeah..being rich sucks.” Mara sighed. “But that’s why I’m on my own.”

“Well, I can see you and I being good friends Mara. If you need anything, call anytime.” Jacob nodded.

“Aren’t you going to London?”

“No, my parents will be, but America supplies amazing universities for law. I plan to take my schooling somewhere in the US.” Jacob explained.

A loud cat screech cut them off as Mara’s family cat, Vio ran into the room, a black figure in front of him. Jacob quickly grabbed Vio as he ran by and Lorien flew around Mara’s neck, making her squirm a bit. She felt him panting against her as he hugged her neck, the two ends of his wings tying together. Jacob began petting the cat and looked at Mara. “he seems rather spooked.”

“That’s just Vio, I can’t think of what made him panic though.” Mara shrugged, petting Vio to calm him down. “It was lovely to talk to you Jacob, but to my father’s orders I have to go greet the other guests.”

“Ah, I completely understand.” Jacob smiled and set Vio down, brushing the fur off his suit. “A pleasure to meet you Mara.” 

Mara’s face flushed and she nodded, leaving the room quickly and fanned herself to calm down. “You alright Lorien? Probably should’ve warned you about Vio.”

Lorien flew in front of her and squeaked angrily. “Mean! Mean! Mean!”

Mara chuckled. “Yes i’m sorry, i’ll treat you to an apple later. Did you find it?”

“Mara! There you are!” Jay called, sprinting over with Zero. “we’ve been looking for you, we believe we know where the laptop is.”

“So does Lorien. Ok bud, you found it right?” Mara asked, and Lorien nodded. “How many locks?”

“Ni!” He quipped.

“Ni?” Zero asked, raising a brow.

“Ni...uh..Japanese! He’s saying two!” Jay replied. “Probably the main door and something else.”

“Box!” Lorien squeaked again, this time landing on Mara’s head and purring softly.

“Box..shit I forgot about that!” Mara groaned, gripping her dress.

“What box?” Zero asked, getting Mara to look at them.

“My father has a combination case..four numbers, but that could be a ton of different things. I remember his computer code but not the case. That’s why he wasn’t worried about me, because I couldn’t get to it.” Mara sighed.

“That’s easy. I’ve opened coded cases before.” Jay commented. “But now we have to get the guard away.”

“I might be able to help with that.” Zero smirked. “You get me and him in a room and I can promise he won’t say a thing.”

“You better not be suggesting killing him Zero.” Mara glared, and the grin from Zero confirmed it. “No killing, knock him out. Use the studio.”

Zero pouted a little but sighed. “Fine, now please let’s get this done, the music is starting to get into my head..”

The three quickly went upstairs and Jay kept Mara on the stairs as Zero went ahead. The guard spotted her and glared. “What are you doing-”

“Come and get me copper~!” Zero waved a gold necklace in the air. She bolted as he came running to her and she slipped into the studio, with the guard behind her.

“How the hell did she get-” Mara began but Jay pulled her along. 

“Don’t ask.” He commented and began picking the lock to the door. “Keep an eye out for maids and such.”

Mara did as she was told but quickly went into the studio to check on Zero, who was currently sitting on top of the guard and tying his hands behind his back with the necklace. Zero grinned at her. “Don’t worry, he’s unconscious~ a good kick to the head.”

“Thanks it’ll be tough already just trying to explain this to my parents..” Mara sighed then hurried back to Jay just as he opened the door.

Jay hurried to the box and Mara shut the door behind her as he began to look over it. “Will Zero know to run if she’s caught?”

“Yes, but I hope you don’t mind a broken window if it’s last minute.” Jay replied, not looking up. Mara shook her head and Lorien flew off her head to sit on the desk. Quickly she opened her phone and took out the number in her purse and called Ben. After a couple rings he picked up.

“Hello?”

“Ben it’s Mara, we’re opening the case now.”

“Ok, do you have another screen nearby?”

“Uh yeah, give me a second.” Mara said, looking to Jay. “I’ll be right back.”

Not even waiting, Mara ran down the hall to the gym and looked at the TV, turning it on. “Ok I have a TV in front of me, but it’s suspended from the ceiling Ben.”

“Just tell me your address and then get something under the TV for me.”

Mara did as she was told, balancing the phone on her shoulder as she told him her address and grabbed out a gymnastics mat, grunting as she pulled it under the tv and then hung up. She waited, looking up at the TV. A few minutes passed and the screen began to fuzz out and Ben’s hand slipped out and he gripped onto the side of the TV as he pulled himself out and then stumbled out, flopping onto the mat with a groan.

“Fuck..couldn’t find something more comfortable?” Ben grumbled, slowly getting up and rolled his head to pop his neck.

“That’s as best as you were getting.” Mara said, grabbing his arm and pulling him to the office. “Jay any luck?”

“Got it figured out, all you now.” Jay said, moving aside for Mara. Mara took the laptop and typed in the password, plugging in the USB. Ben told Jay about the gym and told him to go hide evidence of them being in there, along with finding Zero. When Jay left Ben looked over Mara’s shoulder. 

“Want me to take over?”

“Yeah..yeah go ahead.” Mara said, setting it back onto the desk and letting Ben type away as the USB started downloading files. She glanced to the box, surprised to see the numbers in order of 1998..her birth year..A sharp pain greeted her head and she looked away from the box, trying to relax her head.

She let Ben do his thing and then Jay and Zero came in after a couple minutes. Zero sighed and looked at them. “So now what?”

“I’ll cover for you two, you guys better get home. I won’t be able to leave until 11 or so.” Mara said. 

“Thank god..” Jay sighed. “Good luck you two.” He said as he waved and both him and Zero left the room in a hurry. Mara felt a headache coming on and gently rubbed her temples as Ben’s fingers danced across the keys. Whatever Ben was doing was important, it would make things faster, this is what she kept repeating to herself. After several minutes Lorien snuggled back on top of Mara’s head and Ben’s fingers slowed down. 

“Ok we’re set. I was able to make the process faster by taking out certain emails and such that wasn’t important to us.” Ben said as he looked to her. “I’ll leave through the computer, you lock it up.”

“yeah..Ben..I’m unsure..I’m doing the right thing..” Mara softly spoke, looking at him with confusion. “This..all just to get you guys to be noticed..”

Ben didn’t want to sympathize, and he had no idea how to empathize with what she was feeling. Slender wouldn’t tell the CP’s anything. “It has to be done Mara. I don’t know why, but if it’s Slender’s will..then we have to.”

Mara only nodded as Ben slipped through the computer, she stood and took the USB, putting it back into her bag and closing the screen. She locked the laptop in the box and left the room as neat as she could before heading downstairs to join her family. Only feeling dread as she went on with the evening.


	13. Casual Player

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Note! Lorien was originated by the artist Maskman262, go check out his cool images!

“I can’t believe your friends hurt Jeremy!” Helen sighed, rubbing her forehead and looking to Mara. “and then they run off without an apology!”

“I’m sorry mom really..” Mara mumbled, sitting in the library as her mother paced around. Her father currently sitting in front of Mara on the couch.

“Mara, we don’t want you hanging out with people like that, in fact we really wish you’d switch jobs.” Roger explained in concern. “You get attacked, work late nights, and now making friends with supposed criminals.”

Mara bit her lip a little, there was no way she could tell them the truth, that might send them both into cardiac arrest. “I know you don’t like it, but at 18 you both agreed to let me build a life of my own.”

“Not with strangers, thieves, or killers!” Helen exasperated, looking to Mara.

“Now Helen, Mara already said it was only Zero that attacked Jeremy and stole from the house guests.” Roger looked to Helen. “But that does not make her a killer.”

Oh if only they knew..Mara sighed and spoke out. “I’m sorry, I won’t bring them again. I didn’t think they’d act this way.”

Helen relaxed and hugged Mara. “Mara, are you sure you don’t want to switch to a different job?”

“I’m sure mother, just a summer here is all I need and then I’ll be moving to a university.” Mara replied, hugging back.

“Another thing Mara, what were your friends trying to do?” Roger asked, narrowing his eyes.

Mara froze a little and slowly let go of her mom. “Well Zero came from a broken home, as much as I’d hate to admit it she was probably trying to steal..Although, Jay was trying to stop her.”

“I see...she’s not allowed back unless she’s changed from that habit.” Roger replied firmly. 

“Yes papa.” Mara smiled a bit and got up. “Sorry if I disturbed the party.”

“We were able to keep it under the guests radar thankfully.” Helen commented. “Are you heading home dear?”

“Yeah I have to, I have work tomorrow.” Mara replied, pecking her mother’s cheek then her father’s head. “Love you guys.”

“Love you too moonbeam.” Roger smiled, getting up from his seat.

Mara left quickly, her head hurt, her feet sore, and her body tired from the adrenaline rush. It was currently 10:36, and she was not looking forward to work. Just meeting the CP’s a week ago felt so long ago yet she knew she wasn’t closer to getting this CP problem fixed. Sure, maybe they had information now, but that only meant she had to oversee the training and decide who is to live or die. Mara didn’t believe in god, but she respected others religions, and something about choosing who lives and dies was..disturbing. 

As she walked into her house, she quickly went upstairs to wipe off her makeup, stripping out of her dress immediately and grabbed PJ’s and underwear. Lorien was flying around for a bit before cuddling into his make-shift bed. Mara smiled at him and quickly went downstairs, grabbing an apple for him and setting it on her nightstand, making him perk up and begin to devour it. She slipped into bed and sighed. “Ready buddy?”

Lorien squeaked, crawling into his rag and Mara set her alarm for work before closing her eyes. The void embraced her as she opened her eyes to see a graveyard. It was raining, foggy, and nighttime. Despite being a dream, the air seemed to nip at her skin and the rain soaking through her night shorts and a tank top. “Lord...if this is a CP’s dream I hope it’s not Rakes..”

She wandered barefoot, feeling the cold grass and a violent shiver ran up her body. Her mind was hazed for a second, her body froze, she felt like she was being watched. Mara began to walk faster through the graveyard and stopped at an empty grave. Kneeling down she tried to read the name but it was too dark to tell, so she used the alternative, her hands. 

“L..I..U..” Mara stopped and looked around in the rain. “Liu Woods.”

“That would be me.” A voice said, making Mara look around frantically before a figure walked closer. “May I ask, how the living fuck did you get into my dream?”

“A friend.” Mara replied as she stood, looking around. “Very..quiet dream..”

“Well, I always go back to the grave when I need to think.” Liu muttered, walking over to stare at the empty pit. “What do you need?”

“Nothing yet..Just, I was hoping to see what life was for you CP’s during the years I was growing up.” Mara stood beside him, but he never looked to her.

“I see..Have you found any answers? Or are you going to waste my time?” Liu asked in irritation, raising his head and looking to the woods.

“Not yet..why does everyone avoid the past?” Mara questions, and this time Liu looked to her.

“Because the past hurts. That is the CP’s instability.” Liu commented. “From their deaths, rebirths, their golden years, and their more recent years of lovers.”

“They’re afraid of being hurt..by what hurt them before?” Mara sighed. “I don’t get it..sure I understand that many of them have suffered, but that’s in the past.”

“And yet it haunts them.” Liu replied, pointing to his grave. “I remember every detail of my life before. But a lot of the killers have repressed their memories so much they can’t even remember being human. Especially now..”

“Because they were separated from those they care about..” Mara ended. “Your brother..he was in love?”

“Sort of..” Liu shrugged. “LJ loved him first, I just made Jeff pull his head out of his ass so he could see it.”

“You set them up?” Mara smiled, chuckling a little.

“No, I gave him a push.” Liu huffed, looking away. “Such bullshit..the council tore everyone away from each other just to prove they could..saying we’re nothing but killers.”

“I’m glad you see the same way as me.” Mara admits. “But, the council knows they’re strong, why try to prove it?”

Liu sighed and turned to her. “Because it is their way. If we get off track they prove they can get us on track, through Slender of course.”

“So stupid..” Mara scoffed, crossing her arms. “Anyone I could go see about this? Ask questions about the council without talking to Slender or Zalgo?”

“Yes..” Liu nodded. “You want answers, talk to Hobo Heart. He may be quiet but he’s been to all three realms. Surely, he can help you.”

Mara gave a small smile. “Thanks Liu..”

“Don’t mention it..” Liu stopped for a moment before adding. “Mara, I watched my brother die internally from being forced to just be “friends” with LJ..Both have trouble working together or even looking at each other..It’s very awkward in the mansion for all lovers.”

Mara nodded. “I know..i’ll fix it.” Mara looked up to the darkness. “Lorien, find Hobo Heart’s dream!”

As she finished she was immediately engulfed by a black smoke and screamed as she saw the city lights below her. The sky was dark and wind whipped around her hair as she fell. Feeling her body start to fall she began to flail around in panic, screaming out for Lorien. “Lorien! Get me out! Wake me up!”

Her back hit something solid, but soft and she took a few deep breaths before looking at the black, silky body. It was huge, whatever she was flying on, it’s wingspan reaching a good 25 or so feet across with...purple strings on the end? She quickly moved to the head of this creature and saw a similar hair fringe. “Lorien?”

Lorien turned to her and smiled at her with his sharp, orchid teeth, and let out a low but loud croon. Mara smiled back and began to laugh. “Y-you’re matured in your dreams!”

As he flew around over the city a figure in front of them was flying as well, With wings of their own. “That must be him, Lorien, try not to scare him. Go under him so he sees us.”

Lorien let out a dark shriek before diving down and making Mara clench onto Loriens shoulders for dear life. But he did as he was told and began to glide as he moved under Hobo Heart. Mara looked up and chuckled at the surprised look on the CP’s face, his blue eyes gazing at her and Lorien with curiosity. “Hi! Hobo Heart right? I’m Mara! Can we talk?”

As she yelled out to him he returned the call with a nod and started flying to the forest, Mara held on tight as Lorien followed the winged CP and then relaxed at the CP landed. Lorien flapped his wings, creating a gust of wind around him as his orchid tendril touched the ground first, to help balance his body. He hunched over on the tendrils of his wings and bent down to let Mara slide off him.

Mara laughed and cupped Lorien’s face. “Good job Lorien! That was amazing!” 

He let out a purr and grinned at her, his orchid eyes filled with happiness like a dog being told “good boy”. Lorien licked her face and she pulled away as the glowing purple saliva coated her cheek. “Ew Lorien no!”

Hobo Heart cleared his throat and Mara instantly turned to him, clearly he didn’t know what to make of her being in his dream. Mara wiped the saliva off her cheek with mild disgust as she spoke. “Ah right..Liu said you might know a thing or two about the Council.”

He looked surprised, if that was even possible with the shock of her and a demon in his dreams. “You..want to know..what about them?” His voice was raspy, a voice that would not be used more than maybe 3 times a day.

“Just..how do I talk to them? Appeal to them? Convince them that the CP’s deserve more.” Mara replied, getting closer as Lorien laid down.

Hobo thought for a moment, his eyes glancing to the right. A Memory. Looking back at her he spoke softly. “There is no way..Humans are only ants to them..toys, chess pieces.. If you want to convince them you have two choices..serve for them..or be a CP.”

This news made Mara feel cold. “So..there’s nothing I can do..?”

Hobo scratched his head, confirming that those were the only two choices. She sighed and asked. “What is with the council? I get it, the world is their playhouse, they’re “superior”, but what do they get out of destroying everything to make life anew? And how do I stop it?”

Hobo looked at her with a raised brow, and then a small smirk crossed his face. “You already know..you’ve always known..”

Mara blinked in surprise and Lorien crawled closer, nudging Mara lightly and whined. However she ignored him and asked. “Did you know me in the past?”

“No..but the answer was already in front of you..If you need another reminder, go look at yourself.”

Mara was about to speak again but screamed as she was lifted into the air, Lorien flying up into the sky with his tendril wrapped firmly around her middle. She didn’t have much time to say anything before dropping her and she fell again, screaming until she felt her body drop and she woke up gasping. Her mind felt like mush as her body felt the after shock of her body being returned to reality. The alarm clock on the side of her bed beeped loudly at her and she slapped her hand on it, reading June 17th, 10 am.

She heard a small snicker next to her and she glared at her small demon friend. “You..are a jerk.”

He only replied with a hissing noise as he flew up and fell onto her head with a whine. Mara couldn’t hold back her chuckle. “Alright I get it..you were annoyed by the alarm..so you decided to wake me in the most “immediate” way you could think.” 

He nodded and flew off towards the door, clinging onto the handle. Mara yawned and got up, gripping onto her nightstand as her head felt dizzy and her body felt drained. For sleeping all night, she felt dead waking up. She opened the door for Lorien and walked downstairs, taking a pear out of the fridge for Lorien and groaning. “I need to go shopping..”

Thankfully she worked 12 to 9, that would still leave her time in the evening to shop. She quickly ran out to her mailbox and grabbed her collection of letters before going inside to quickly review them. She tore up the ads, spam, and deals, but left the bills untouched. “I’ll take a look at them tomorrow..”

There was one letter that wasn’t signed, it had her address but nothing else. Curiosity got the best of her and she opened it to see a tri-folded paper and a simple, yet disturbing message on it. “Mara Pierce, you have been undergoing a serious crime. Although we will not notify the police, we ask of you to stop visiting the woods..”

Mara raised a brow and folded it back up, taking it upstairs to put into her purse. “I’ll talk to Slender about this..” 

Mara got ready for her day, leaving out some water and an apple for Lorien before starting to run to work. She wasn’t late, but when she took a step inside she got a strange look from Sam. Glancing at her phone, it was only 11:45 she knew she wasn’t late.

“You ok Mara?” Sam asked, making her look to him. “Normally you look more...relaxed before coming in.”

“A lot has happened for the past few days.” Mara shrugged off and walked to the back to change, Sam following her but leaned on the door frame and looked towards the empty building. 

“I know, but having a couple days off I would’ve imagined you to be back to your old self. Did something happen between you and your man?”

Mara suppressed a sigh as she answered. “We decided not to go out, we’re both too busy in life. And i’m fine Sam, just a little...day dreaming.”

“Alright..let me know if you need to spring early or something. Jesse, Morgan, and Frank are helping us close but i’m sure we’ll survive if you need to go.” Sam offered. “Also, go check with Alyssa at some point, she’s wondering how you’ve been since your last meet up.”

“Could I invite her here? Do you know what schedule she has today?” Mara asked, stepping out of the room.

Sam pulled out his phone and after a couple minutes smiled. “Looks like she’s off at 6 so yeah. Hell if you want me to get her to come over I can.”

“I’ll do it, you go stand guard.” Mara jokes, taking her phone from her pocket and quickly texting Alyssa.

“Hey Alyssa. What’s up?”

“OMG you’re alive!”

Mara snickered to herself as she replied. “Yes i’m alive. After your shift do you want to stop by my work?”

“Love to! At work thought right now so ttyl. ;3”

Mara smiled as she put away her phone and went behind the counter, knowing all too well the start of her shift would be slow. She could try to clean or something, but the place wasn’t busy yet. She just wanted to know what she could do at this point. Trying to think about the Council would be useless, she won’t be able to see the CP’s until tonight, and now she has a fucked up sleeping schedule.

Time passed, just as slowly as Mara feared before it was finally 6:23 and Alyssa joined the club. The club itself was only starting to get more people, but as it was a Monday, not a lot of people in comparison to a Friday. Sam looked up and smiled, hurrying over to Alyssa and hugging her. “Baby!”

“Hey prince~!” Alyssa cooed back and laughed as she pecked his lips.

Mara looked over the bar and quickly walked over. “Hey Alyssa, glad you could come.”

“I’m glad I was invited.” Alyssa joked and pulled from Sam as she turned to Mara. “But seriously you have no idea how many idiots I had to deal with.”

“I’ll get you girls something to drink.” Sam promised before taking his spot behind the counter and both Mara and Alyssa went to the nearest two-seater spot.

“Customers? Or is it something else?” Mara asked as she sat across from Alyssa.

“Mm-hm customers don’t seem to understand that we can’t give free-be’s or special deals just because it’s their birthday. Have most people worked in customer service? You don’t get a discount in Lowe’s just because it’s your mother’s birthday.” Alyssa spat out.

“Ugh, I know the feeling, consider yourself lucky that you don’t deal with drunks.” Mara added.

“That is why I don’t go to bars, if I want a drink i’ll go out to eat or buy something and take it home.” Alyssa smirked. “Too many idiots out in the world ruin my drinking mood.”

“Amen.” Sam said as he placed a Shirley temple in front of Mara and a Bloody Mary in front of Alyssa. “Mara, tag me when you’re ready.”

Mara smiled and nodded, as he walked off Alyssa tilted her head. “Tag?”

“It’s what we do when you arrive. We tag each other to let the other talk to you.” Mara explained.

“Not sure if I’m flattered or being compared to a wrestler.” Alyssa smiled, taking a sip from her drink.

Mara chuckled lightly and took a sip of her drink, looking up and nearly choking when she saw a figure behind the glass of the front window. “Uh Alyssa...i’ll be right back.”

Mara quickly got up and hurried outside. “Toby what the fuck are you doing here?!”

“Oh well I was here to pick you up!” Toby smiled, rocking back and forth from his heels to his toes.

“But I never asked for a pickup..wait..” Mara stopped and crossed her arms. “Did you go into my house?”

“Maaayyyybe..” Toby started, then froze when Lorien flew out from under his hood and rested on Mara’s head, purring. “Ok I did.”

“How did you even get in? I lock everything.” Mara asked, lightly petting Lorien’s head.

“I used my hatchet.” Toby replied bluntly.

“YOUR HATCHET-!?” Mara was more then ready to punch this stupid teen to the ground, but there were still people around and she growled, taking a deep breath. “What...and why?”

Toby took a cautious step back from her near outburst. “Well, I heard something about you going to the under realm..And it’s not safe, especially with a demon.”

“Lorien is not that kind of demon.” Mara grumbles and looks around. “Can we talk later? You clearly broke into my house so please stay there and make sure no one goes in.”

“Alright~!” Toby nodded and hurried off towards her house. Mara let out a struggled sigh as she walked back in to talk to Alyssa. 

After her shift Mara headed home as quickly as possible, Lorien flying as soon as they were out of the club. One thing Mara has noted, Lorien hates laying down for long periods of time. As she got to her house, she was thankful that her front door wasn’t the one that took damage. The lights were on and her TV was on in the main room, he better not be wasting her electricity. Using her keys she opened the door and slammed it shut, making Toby hop off her couch. Said CP, was currently eating some of her gluten free chips and she snatched the box out of his hand. 

Toby gulped the food that was still in his mouth and exclaimed. “Your place rocks!”

Mara raised a brow and looked around. Dull white and cream colored house, two floors, really small. The house was only meant for one or two people. “What’s so great about it?”

“Well for one it’s clean, and two perfect hiding place!” Toby continued as he sat back on the couch. “Oh and I got you a new lock for your back door.”

“Ah, so you broke the lock off my back door?”

“Yep, pretty hard too, I was trying to-OW!”

Mara grabbed his hair tightly, forcing him to look up as she glared at him. “You break anything else and I will hand your ass to Slender. Got it?”

“Got it.” Toby gulped and sighed in relief as she let go. “Seriously though, Slender was suspicious about your connection to the under realm so I went down there and talked to Zalgo.”

“You purposely went into enemy territory to find out about that? I could’ve told you so you don’t get ripped to shreds!” Mara growled in her throat as she sat on the other side of the couch.

“Actually, I got lost, I accidentally went down there.” Toby replied with a smile. “But since I was down there I decided to ask.”

Mara stared at him, actually lost for words before asking. “How..did you get lost in your own woods?”

“I was trying to find my phone.”

“...you were looking for your phone...and in the process ended up in the under realm?” 

“I’m not a clever man.” Toby admitted with a twitch. “And you have no idea how little money we have. Getting cameras are hard enough. We basically have to steal everything.”

Mara shook her head a little and stood. “Well, you could say I had contact with them. Zalgo gave me Lorien as payment for helping the CP’s. And then I had contact with one of his CP’s through a dream, and invited them to the mansion to train.”

“At the mansion!?” Toby got up fast. “You have no idea how Slender is going to react! He’ll be so pissed!”

“You guys wanted my help so I’m helping!” Mara snapped back. “Toby. You go back to the mansion, tell Slender about them coming and that he better have a gym or some supplies to help you guys get ready!”

Toby seemed to quiet down and nodded. “Ok..but one problem. Money? We don’t have the kind of money to get the equipment.”

Mara sighed and snapped her fingers a couple times to help her think. “I’ll think of something, go ahead back to the mansion.”

Toby nodded and walked to the back door, before he could leave Mara called out. “And don’t get lost!”

Toby smiled back at her and opened the door. “I won’t!”

Once he left Mara began to think hard and snapped her fingers repeatedly. Lorien flew to her in worry and landed on her left shoulder, letting out a soft. “Safe?”

Mara stopped and looked at him, as she began to pace instead. “It’s ok Lorien..I know exactly who I can get the money from..but how is the question..How do I get some money from my parents?”

Lorien watched her as she continued. “My parents always said that if I needed money I can have some, they’ve persisted for a while along with their job positions..The CP’s will need money for newer weapons and training equipment maybe?”

Mara groaned as she went upstairs to grab her laptop, Lorien quickly flying off before landing on her head. Mara typed quickly on the keyboard and sighed. “This is going to cost well over $2,000..I need to talk to Slender..”

Lorien flew to her back pocket, landing on top of her phone. Mara quickly followed and took out her phone and looked to Lorien. “Should I call them?”

Lorien squeaked and landed on her head again as Mara sighed, dialing the number connected to Jay. It rang for a couple minutes but then picked up with Jay’s voice. “Hello?”

“Jay? Could you send Slender to me?”

“Right now?”

“Yes now.” Mara sighed.

“Alright..hang up I’ll let him know.”

Mara did as she was told and waited, looking up more supplied online and trying to come up with an explanation for money. Lorien stayed on her head, only perking up as a heavy static filled Mara’s ears. She glanced up as Slender stood before her, but because of the size of her house to him, Slender was crouched forward.

“I understand that you spoke to Skully..which..i’m confused why you call him Jay instead.”

“That..that’s just how he introduced himself. Plus, he doesn’t wear a mask.” Mara replied.

“He’s supposed to.. Anyways, what is it?” Slender asked, sitting down on the floor to straighten out his back.

“I need you to make me a supply list of what you need for the CP’s then I can pay for it.” Mara explained briefly.

“I see...Toby also informed me Zalgo’s CP’s are coming..I’m not against it, but are you sure about what you’re doing?” Slender questioned.

Mara stared at him, she could feel him digging through her mind as she thought, but then nodded. “It’s what I need to do.”


	14. Easter Egg

Chapter 14- Easter Egg

Two days passed, now June 19th, Wednesday. Slender had given Mara the list of things he would need, and Mara was so thankful it wasn’t too much. He needed medical supplies, something to sharpen dull blades, and someway to reload ammo. Although it was around $1,500 just with those, and then an added $600 at least for new equipment and weapons. It wasn’t going to be easy but Slender helped her come up with a plan to get the money.

“Hey dad, do you remember Jacob Walker?”

“Of course I do moonbeam. What about him?” Her dad’s voice replied.

“I need his number.” Mara bluntly said, taking a deep breath.

“Oh? Why his?” There it was, skepticism.

“Well..” Mara mentally encouraged her inner actress. “He and I really hit it off I think at the party..I was going to invite him out but..I needed his number.”

“Really?” She could practically hear him leaning forward in his seat. “Hold on Mara i’m putting you to your mother until I’m back.”

Oh shit- “N-no dad! Don’t put me-”

“Is it true?!” Her mother called out in excitement.

“H-hey mom-” Mara choked out as she laid back in her seat.

“Oh my god! I thought this would never happen! And you actually met someone-”

Mara let her mother ramble as she slowly sunk back onto the fine upholstered leather seat of the club’s booth. The doors were thankfully shut, but that morning she wanted to be early for work. After a moment she heard her father back on, but clearly on speaker considering her mother was in the background rambling.

Her father read off the numbers as she put it on her phone notes but then asked afterwards. “So what are you going to call about?”

“Well I was going to see about inviting him out to..somewhere but I need to be careful with my money you know? Maybe just the park-”

“Absolutely not!” Her mother called, getting closer to the phone. “Honey, I know you like to prove your independence but this time i want you to take our offer. Do you need a restaurant reservation? Yacht?”

“Helen stop smothering her.” Her father sighed, and Mara was thankful that her mother relaxed. “Although your mother is right Mara, this would be a good time to take our offer on money and actually go and enjoy your time with someone.”

Mara knew very well what she needed, but guilt was starting to tie around her throat. “Well..ok, but how much am I allowed to take? It doesn’t seem right-”

“Mara.” Her father cut off. “You have never asked for a lot, you never have since you were a little girl. You never asked for a rich family, you never asked anything for your birthday or Christmas. Take what you need.”

“Honey if you’re that worried about it, we can put a spending budget.” Her mother said in equal love that made Mara force tears back.

“Yeah..um...is $3,000 ok?” Mara asked, struggling to find her voice.

“Of course, we’ll get you the money through the bank. Should we put it in credit or savings?”

“Credit please.” Mara smiled. “Thank you guys, I love you both.”

“We love you two baby, and do tell us how the date goes!”

Mara smiled and hung up before sighing and wiping the non-existent tears from her eyes. Then sat up and called the number her father gave her. It rang for a minute before she heard Jacob on the other line. “Hello?”

“Hey Jacob, it’s Mara.” 

“Ah, hello Mara.” He said, his voice sounding relaxed. “Can I help you?” 

“I was..wondering..” Mara gulped a bit before spitting out. “Do you want to go somewhere this Saturday?”

“This Saturday? As friends?” Jacob questioned.

Fuck, Mara wasn’t sure how to respond to that. “Whatever you’d like it to be.”

He chuckled from the other end. “Alright, a night out with a friend. I would be delighted. Shall we text to keep up on plans?”

“Yeah, sounds good.” Mara smiled a little. “I’ll text you after work today.”

“Alright! Have a good day Mara.”

Mara said her goodbye then hung up, then proceeded to hit the back of her head on the booth wall. It was interrupted by Sam opening the door and sliding in with a Shirley temple. “You hit your head anymore and you’ll lose the last of your brain cells.”

“Ha. Hear anything Sam?” Mara asked and took a sip of the drink.

“No, you know I don’t peep.” 

“Only on Alyssa during high school.” Mara smirked, she was indulged in Sam and Alyssa’s “cute” high school love life.

Sam only chuckled and shook his head. “No I did not hear anything. But you seemed out of it when you came in.”

“I’ve had a lot on my mind.” Mara shrugged.

“A lot more than normal I’d say.” Sam replied. “Are you sure you’re ok? You’ve been out of it since that night..you know you can talk to Alyssa and I.”

Mara let out a sigh and thought carefully. People read her like an open book, it was both a curse and blessing. “Yeah, I’m alright...Sam, did you ever feel like, maybe something you do to help someone is maybe hurting someone else?”

Sam gave a warm smile and put a hand on Mara’s shoulder. “Mara, that’s the point of choices in our lives. Plus, I know you, you would never purposely hurt people. What’s this about?”

“I’ve uh..borrowed 3,000 dollars from my parents.” Mara started, getting a worried look from Sam. “and..going on a date this Saturday..”

Sam worried look broke and he began to laugh. “That’s it? You’re feeling guilty for that? God Mara, your heart's too big for one person.”

Mara smiled a little. “Thanks Sam..but really I’m not used to it.”

“You should be. Hell Mara, you’ve been saving before you even moved out of your parent’s mansion. You think this is a lot? Wait until you get married, i’m sure your parents will have a field day and be willing to spend a million dollars on that.”

Mara and Sam began to laugh, both knowing that was very true and that Mara was being too empathetic over money from her rich parents. “Yeah you’re right. Thanks Sam.”

“Any time.” Sam shrugged then grinned. “Now, who is this guy?”

“One of the guys from my father's business party. But we’re just meeting up for a bit..thing is I’m not sure what to do.”

“Well, give me a run down on him. We still have-” Sam stopped to look at his phone. “30 minutes, so tell me about him then I’ll help.”

“You? Giving advice?” Mara smirked.

“You act like a smartass now, but I don’t have to help you on Saturday.” Sam pointed out.

“Ok ok..um..he’s kind..listens..handsome..” Mara stopped and sighed. “We only spoke one night, less than 2 hours.”

“Sometimes you just know, continue.” Sam leaned back.

“He’s determined..wants to follow his own path as a lawyer. He doesn’t deny that being rich helps with schooling, but he doesn’t really care either way. And..he’s from London.” Mara shrugs. “That’s really all I got.”

“Hm..best feature? And on a scale of 1-10 how much do you like him?” Sam asked quickly.

“His eyes I suppose. And on that scale..I would say at least an 8.” Mara smirked at Sam’s look and added. “Everyone’s got something to hide. Looks and similar schooling doesn’t give him full marks.”

“Alright.” Sam smiled, putting his fingers together. “Based on my analysis-”

“Lay it on me Dr. Phil.” Mara mocked, chuckling.

“I would say, take him out in the morning. Some guys like getting breakfast, maybe taking a walk somewhere. Or hell, maybe he just wants a movie date.” Sam advised before getting out of the booth.

Mara followed and started getting the table tops wiped down. “Thank you again Sam. any more advice?”

“Oh yeah! If you ask the guy if he loves you, that’s an automatic dump!” Sam called out as he got around the counter. “Guys immediately think the girl is clingy or trying to sell the guy’s freedom with commitment.”

“And..what if he says it first?” Mara asked. She didn’t realize asking a guy would equal destruction of a relationship, but she could see the mistrust if someone did ask that. 

“That either means he’s crazy or inexperienced with dating.” Sam chuckled. “Nah, most guys will tell you. Just be patient.”

Mara shrugged. “I don’t think it’ll get that far.”

The work day was faster, which Mara thanked whoever granted that, but in the end her stomach was churning. Walking home, getting through the door, hiding in her room with a plate of her rice and tempura. Lorien was happily eating an apple on her nightstand as Mara tried to distract herself with only orders of the supplies needed. All the while, she kept glancing at her phone.

“You alright?”

Mara nearly dropped her laptop and bowl at the voice and looked over to Jay on her window sill. She set the bowl aside and placed her hand over her heart. “Why do you all do that to me?!”

“Do what?” Jay asked, stepping in.

“You CP’s! You’re sneaking into AND breaking into my house!” Mara pointed a finger accusingly at him. “You realize that the average people that have heart attacks are-”

“I don’t need to know. I’m just checking to see if you need help. Slender’s orders.” Jay shrugged, sitting on the floor and looking at her.

Lorien purred and flew around Jay for a moment before sitting on top of his head. Mara sighed and relaxed her shoulders. “Well..to answer your concern, everything is ordered. It’ll probably be here Saturday or Sunday.”

“Good. Anything else?”Jay questioned. “No offense Mara, but you look ready to chuck your phone into the garbage disposal.”

“Oh um..to put in short..” Mara said, fiddling with her hands. “I got money from my parents to help you guys and..I have a date on Saturday..”

“You..you’re dating someone as an excuse to get the money?” Jay asked, looking confused.

“Yes and I feel terrible! I’ve never been so dishonest in my life it’s tearing me apart! Feel like i’m in a 10 V. 1 right now! With me being the only person protecting the hostage!” Mara groaned and laid back onto her bed, yelling into her pillow.

Jay raised a brow, not understanding the game reference but cleared his throat to get her attention. “Well...sometimes we lie for a good cause.”

“What good cause? I feel like backing out!” Mara snapped, sitting up. “I’m randomly selected to do a mass genocide! I lie and steal from my parents! And to top it off, I’m lying to a potential friend! So tell me Jay, what good cause am I contributing to!?”

Jay said nothing for a bit as she caught her breath, then he spoke. “You’re keeping us safe..sure, the CP life isn’t safe, it never was..but we need you Mara..”

Mara sighed and shook her head. “No, I’m helping kill maybe thousands-”

“You only want us to hurt the ones that deserve it right?” Jay interrupted, standing up. “That IS the point to hacking your father's computer. You want justice for those that have been hurt and molded to being bad. That IS the point of you helping the CP’s.”

Mara looked at him sorrowfully as he sat on the bed, listening as he said quietly. “You want to know who you were to the CP’s...That IS the point of you risking everything to find out the truth..”

Mara felt tears well up in her eyes as she tried to control her breathing. “What if I can’t do this? What if I can’t live with this guilt?”

“Hey..” Jay said, crossing his legs. “Everyone’s got something to hide..you don’t have to be the pure saint that everyone thinks you are. Fucking hell, you study in Forensics and Psychology you should know that.”

Mara let out a short laugh and nodded. “Yeah..pretty stupid shit..”

“Then don’t beat yourself up..” Jay said, patting her back. “Look, um..Heartful Lou was curious how you were so, that’s why I was asking.”

“He’s a sweet guy.” Mara smiled and wiped her tears off. “When you see him, just say that i’m stressed, but ok.”

Jay nodded and got up, walking to the window. Mara bit her lip for a second then called out. “Wait! Jay..why don’t you go by Skully?”

He slowed down and looked over at her, staring at her for a second before turning towards her. “The others fell easily during our..search..I don’t want to make this a long story but..to me, Personally, I have too much pride to be called a pet name by my boss. Not many people know I’m skully because I prefer to stalk, only killing if I need to.”

“That’s right, your survivor story said that you take pictures of targets for the proxies.” Mara said.

“Exactly. I only wear the mask when I need to, otherwise I need to look like an average guy so I can blend in and do my surveillance. Just...you can call me Jay or Skully, but i prefer my real name.” 

Jay was obviously aggravated so Mara said nothing more on it and nodded. “well..I like Jay anyways. Have a good night.”

Jay nodded then proceeded to hand her a gen that looked to be an Emerald. “Slender said to let your demon send you into a dream with this as a fuel source..” He then climbed out the window, closing it as he left and Mara chuckled. “Wow what a gentleman.”

Lorien squeaked and tilted his head at her, making Mara chuckle and pet his head. “Sarcasm sweetie.”

She glanced at her phone and picked it up off her bed, taking a couple deep breaths before texting to Jacob. “Hey, Jacob, sorry for texting so late.”

Now she felt stupid it was only 10pm, this could not be that late. Mara relaxed and continued to eat her food, putting on NCIS on her laptop. After about 15 minutes her phone buzzed and Mara picked it up.

“Not a problem Mara, do you want to talk about plans?”

God she could practically hear the British accent. “Yeah I was thinking maybe, going out for breakfast and then heading to the park. My treat.”

“Well it sounds like a lovely idea, but I insist on paying.” Mara chuckled at his politeness before thinking then texting back.

“No, my treat, really.”

“Then, perhaps I can convince you to let me pay for something later that day?”

“Maybe, we’ll see.” Mara smiled, watching with interest as she saw little bubbles at the bottom showing he was typing.

“Do you have a recommendation for breakfast?”

“There’s a nice little local diner I go to. Fresh food, fresh drinks, great service. I’ll send you the address and meet around 10?”

“Sounds good, have a good night Mara.”

“Night.” Mara replied then sent the address through the text. “There, done. I’m done.”

Mara laid back in relief and looked at Lorien who was crawling closer and nuzzled her cheek. “I’m ok boy..”

Mara looked to the emerald on her bed and picked it up, feeling Lorien climb up her back to look at it. She examined it, it was beautiful, clean cut, but didn’t seem to have any other special qualities. “Perhaps it’s another relic? Maybe a story of the CP’s alternate life?”

Lorien squeaked and climbed down her arm to the gem, licking at it a little. Mara giggled and set the gem to the side. “We’ll use it in a bit bud. I need to finish the orders and try to relax first.”

It wasn’t until 11:48 that Mara was ready for bed and looked to Lorien as he snuggled into his new bed. Yesterday, Mara found a small basket in her closet that she got with her Christmas present last year. She stuffed an old shirt that didn’t fit anymore, and used one of the rags as a blanket for Lorien. He was curled up with the emerald and seemed to already be falling asleep, purring softly.

Mara smiled, it would be interesting to ask someone, “did you know demons purr?”, and see their reaction. She closed her eyes and let her conscious slip away, waiting to be grabbed by Lorien. As she opened her eyes, she was surprised to see the forest, and Lorien was anxiously nuzzling her cheek in his gigantic form. She giggled and pet him, but noticed how translucent her body was, looking at Lorien he was even see through despite his black form.

“Where are we bud? And why do we look like this?” She asked, only getting a whimper. “Well let’s look around.”

They walked together, Lorien being a bit slower, but saw the mansion in plain sight. It was a beautiful night, cool air, full moon, and there was laughter in the mansion. Lorien moved a wing in front of Mara as she tried to move forward and blinked when she saw Masky and Hoodie come from the side of the house with backpacks over their shoulders.

“Movie night? We should celebrate for a successful mission.” Hoodie commented, playfully nudging Masky.

“Why do I feel when you say Movie you mean Fucking around?” Masky chuckled as he and Hoodie walked into the house, leaving Mara confused.

“A-are they..together?” Mara asked, looking to Lorien, but he only shrugged. “Let’s go in, maybe we can find a calendar.”

Lorien was having trouble with the concept that he wasn’t going to hit anything with his transparent form, even Mara was startled when Smile dog ran through her legs. This is what ghosts feel like, Mara thought as she looked around, only stopping when she saw a calendar on the wall. “I-I can’t believe it..it’s 2009, I would’ve only been 12 years old and living on the streets.” Mara heard LJ in the next room and looked over into the dining room, surprised about LJ hugging Jeff.

“Jeffy~ you up for some killing tonight?” LJ smiled, hugging Jeff around his waist as the killer was sharpening his knife.

“I already said that I would now get off. And stop calling me that!” Jeff growled, stabbing the knife into the table top and tried to pry LJ’s hands off, who was clinging on and laughing.

“Come on Jeff, lighten up, what’s got you acting so weird? You haven’t picked a fight since Thanksgiving.” LJ questioned and let go to mess with Jeff’s hair.

Jeff nipped at his hand to keep it away and got up, grabbing his knife. “It’s that..little girl I met outside the 7/11.”

“The poor girl? Jeff, what has you so interested? Are you mad you didn’t kill her?” LJ asked, coaxing for an answer.

“I couldn’t kill her.” Jeff sighed and rubbed his head. ‘I don’t know man, I just need to get out.”

“Alright..just let me know if you need to talk.” LJ smiled, affectionately rubbing Jeff’s back, who lightly nudged his head on LJ’s shoulder before the two began to walk to the door.

Mara watched them leave, she could practically see the affection on them, like real lovers. “He met me on Thanksgiving..when I was 12.”

“Ben, you need to get some rest, you’ll tire yourself out if you game every morning.” EJ’s voice caught Mara’s attention as she looked to the couch where EJ was holding Ben on his lap.

Ben yawned and snuggled closer to EJ. “whatever doc.”

Mara watched with surprise as EJ took off his mask and pecked Ben’s head, who hummed and pecked his lips in return. Part of her was somewhat happy to see this, but the other part was confused. The emerald was their past, so when did the council tell them to break up? “Lorien, can you take us a couple years later? Maybe, 2012?”

Lorien nodded and as the room shifted with colors and movement, it stopped with the sun shining through the windows and the room empty. Morning, looking at the calendar, April 2012. No one was in the room except Jeff, who seemed to be sleeping on the couch. However that theory was shot down when he suddenly sat up and threw his knife into the wall. It terrified her that you couldn’t tell if he was sleeping with no eyelids.

LJ soon came down the stairs and took the knife out of the wall, handing it to Jeff, who muttered. “Thanks..”

“Jeff, all of us are mad but you shouldn’t-”

“It doesn’t make sense Jack!” Jeff snarled as he got up, throwing his knife into the floor. “Why would they do this to us?! Why didn’t Slender back us up?!”

“He tried Jeff!” LJ shouted over him. “Slender does more than enough to keep us safe, he’s already stressed enough as of late, there’s no need to stress him out more.”

“But it’s not fair LJ!” Jeff cried out at him, but then his voice grew quiet. “H-haven’t we all had enough taken from us? And now..we’re supposed to go back to how things were? With what? Us pranking each other? At each other's throats 24/7? Hell, Jane actually has started to get past what I’ve done and the Council wants to take that away!”

LJ said nothing but slowly pulled Jeff into a hug, Jeff immediately hugged back, digging his fingers into LJ’s back. LJ hummed a soft tune as he held Jeff and Mara knew the song. It played from the music box that Jeff had in his room. Then LJ started to sing lightly, barely above a whisper.

“When the road gets rough, we take the woods-  
Knives and guns, we’re understood-  
We hold hope and we become, the CP’s stories told.  
I’ll stay here, and wait for you-  
Until you’re ready, to be true-  
I’ll stay by your side, until my blood goes cold.  
We never fade, we never fall-  
But time rolls on, we have our call-  
One thing is true, I’ll never leave you.  
Be my friend, or be my foe-  
We’re warriors, we’ve proven so-”

LJ stopped for a moment and cupped Jeff’s cheeks gently, what surprised Mara though, was the tears rolling down both their cheeks. Then LJ smiled at Jeff, getting Jeff to choke out the last sentence.

“I-i won’t leave, until you tell me to go..”

Just as he finished Jeff began to sob, LJ holding him with a smile. “It’s going to be ok..Slender will fix this. He always does.”

Mara, although this was only a dream to her, she could feel tears gathering in her eyes and Lorien was already letting out low whimpers to see if she was ok. Mara didn’t do anything other than watching these two CP’s being torn down by the decision. The emerald must’ve been made by Slender, or he found if from Zalgo..either way Mara could barely handle what was being shown.

Finally she snapped out of it when the vision faded and Lorien and her regained their normal look. Lorien nuzzled her and she pet his head. “At first I wasn’t sure if what I was doing was worth it bud..but I know this is something I need to fix. They’ve already been torn away for 7 years..they may not have another year in them.”

Lorien let out a purr and moved away, the scene around them changed, showing a cloudy evening, right before sunset, and an alleyway with trash. One pile looked to be a torn open box, and an umbrella open over it. She saw two different colored shoes poking out and then quickly noticed Jeff walking down the alleyway. He stopped for a moment then looked down the alley.

“Ok who’s there? I’m not playing games right now.” Jeff growled then a small girl crawled out from the box. He studied her for a moment and Mara felt her voice hitch. It was her...her younger self.

“I-it’s gonna rain soon..you should get under cover..” She said softly, and Jeff looked to the sky as it began to rain.

Jeff looked back down and asked. “Who are you?”

“I’m.. Mara..” Mara spoke as she looked out from behind the umbrella.

“AH!” Mara cried in pain as she snapped completely out of the dream and sat up in bed holding her head in her hands and clawed her fingers into her own scalp as she took deep breaths. Lorien soon awoke and started chirping in worry as he flew around Mara to look at her face. Soon the pain faded, leaving a throbbing headache and she looked at her clock that read 3:23 am, June 20th. “Lorien...let’s not do that again tonight..”

Lorien nodded and snuggled onto her pillow as she laid down and let the night take her again.


	15. Crowd Control

Ben groaned in frustration as he rolled his head back before refocusing on the laptop. He was sitting with both legs crossed and the laptop in the center, of course on his bed with Lost Silver sitting on the floor as he watched TV. Ben’s ear twitched as he looked to Silver, Silver spelling out with the Unknowns. “Ready to Tag?”

Ben nodded and got off his bed, stretching his legs with a groan as Silver took over the laptop studies. “God, Mara better be able to look through the world's population faster then us decoding the damn firewalls.”

Silver gave him a small glare and Ben sighed. “I know, I know. Her job will be easier once we get them down. I just hope it won’t take too much longer.”

Ben sat down and watched the show currently playing, yawning softly. He and Silver have been working on the code nonstop for days and even through the thumb drive there were firewalls instilled due to internet connection. That is the unfortunate thing about a thumb drive, it’ll save everything, even the security measures protecting the files.

As her alarm went off Mara slammed her hand on it with a groan. Looking up she glared at the digital numbers before flipping over onto her side to look out the window. Last night was more or less revealing to her, she saw how it tore the CP’s apart, but now she knew the only way to communicate with the council was by helping the CP’s. She was glad she was able to pass out after the night’s events. Slowly she got up but felt heavy, mentally and physically, she laid back down and grabbed her phone to look at the schedule.

After looking she slowly forced herself up and began to walk downstairs, with Lorien following her, making little chirps along the way. Once getting downstairs her mood shifted and she looked to her couch where Slender was sitting with a book. “Slender..?”

“I didn’t realize you enjoyed mystery novels.” Slender commented, closing the book before turning his head to her.

Mara sighed but nodded. “You..the relic..it-Thank you.”

“I figured that’s why you were dream hopping.” Slender noted. “Zalgo gave it to me a few months ago to try and avoid this catastrophe. Seemed appropriate to give it to you now.”

“Yeah..I think I understand the complications now.” Mara walked over and sat on the couch. “How is Ben doing?”

“According to Silver, the decryption should be done tonight.” Slender said, setting the book down. “Then from there you can work on your list.”

Mara nodded. “And while I do that, the CP’s can train.”

Slender nodded and then asked. “Why invite Zalgo’s CPs? I was surprised by the sudden command from Skully.”

Mara was starting to fiddle with her hands again. “I’m sorry I was mad and..well Jay listened to me..He helped me clear my head. But it’s because Zalgo’s CP’s are a part of this as well, they are CP’s no matter who they live with or where.”

Slender nodded and a mental chuckle passed her ears, making her tilt her head in question. “You, remind me a lot of myself when I was first starting as the leader of the CP’s.”

“Starting out?” Mara asked, actually intrigued.

“Yes but..you can look at the Emerald for that. Just ask Lorien to find the memory of me when I first helped to make the mansion.” Slender replied, petting Lorien as the little demon curled around his hand.

“Thank you Slender..” Mara chuckled. “I must have been a huge pain in the ass at the start.”

“Not at all. Sure, I was not sure how well a human would help us, but you seem to be just what we need.” Slender assured her.

“Yeah..there’s one thing I still need to find out. who I was.” Mara said then looked at him. “Could you read my mind? My past?”

Slender turned to her. “I could try, but I warn you it could be painful.”

“It’s more painful trying to think about it then feeling like I was stabbed in the head.” Mara shrugged. “I would like help, even just you getting a glimpse. Even if you could just give me a clue where to look.”

Slender let out a mental sigh. “It won’t be easy, but what it sounds like this is mental repression that was done so well it's painful to look back. I can’t guarantee that I can’t get through your mental barrier.”

“Please, just try.” Mara begged quietly. Slender seemed hesitant but nodded before moving a cold hand to her head, lightly touching the tips of his fingers to the side of her head over the temporal lobe. She knew that lobe hosted the most memory recall, she stared at the faceless man, and even without eyes she could tell he was staring back.

It was like her brain was being pulled, first carefully like a single thread in a knot, but soon turned to stinging like a snag on a fishing line. She curled her hands into the couch material to resist digging her nails into her hands, she let out slow and deep breaths to avoid thinking of the pain. At one sharp tug she gasped as a flash of her younger self walking with her father came into her mind.

Slender’s pull did not stop however, instead the pull increased, it was like her brain was being forced through a strainer as images and flashes of white shot through her eyes. Eventually Mara grabbed his wrist tightly and let out shaky breathes. “I-i don’t feel good..”

Slender pulled his hand away and got up, walking to her kitchen as she stared down at the couch. She felt something wet above her lip and wiped it off, looking at her hand she saw blood and looked to Slender with shock as he came back.

“Head down child.” He said softly and proceeded to hold a paper towel to her nose as she leaned her head down.

It was quiet as Mara continued her now shallow breaths and kept her nose in the paper towel. Slowly Slender pulled her closer so she could lay against him, Mara mentally thanked him and then collapsed onto his lap. This action alone made him remove his hands from her and stiffen, but he handed her the paper towel. Mara laid like that for a couple minutes, checking on her bleeding until it slowed down.

“What caused that..?”

“The pure stress from me searching your mind. You should count yourself lucky, most do not survive the mental strain and their brain would start bleeding. If I had continued for a few minutes longer that might have happened.” Slender explained and helped Mara sit up again.

“You’ve tested this haven’t you?” Mara asked with a quiet voice, her body too tired even to speak clearly.

“Yes..it was something I had to control..many of my victims die from sanity imbalance by looking at me or even touching me. Sometimes I do it on purpose to find out what they know, and if they are deemed valuable or another CP I have to be careful. For instance, Masky and the others when they were hunting me, they were harmed majorly by my abilities.” Slender elaborated. 

“CP’s must work hard huh? To be safe.” Mara pointed out.

“Yes, it is a CP lesson. As soon as I brought them in, they had to undergo one test. Test of sanity. Dr. Smiley himself breaks the CP based on their stories and records them, afterwards once they’re stable enough they can wander the mansion. All of the CP’s have one thing in common, we call it Killer’s Cry.”

“What’s that? Like, what happens when you break them?” Mara asked, leaning forward a bit.

“In a way, Killer’s Cry is when their killer instincts act up and they go on a rampage, not telling who is friend or foe.” Slender said then stood up, watching his head so it didn’t hit the ceiling. “Perhaps, from now on I could meet you outside?”

Mara smiled and stood up. “Sounds good. I’m glad you trust me enough to tell me these things.”

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned from watching over 100 CP brats, is that trust is most valued in a family.” Slender replied then added. “If you work today I suggest drinking lots of water..”

Mara noticed he was preparing to leave and grabbed his arm. “Wait! Did you see anything?”

Slender stopped and looked down at her. “Yes..a hospital..a psych ward to be exact. I would recommend looking into medical records child.”

Mara said nothing but nodded and let go, watching as he teleported away and blinked as her vision cleared. Lorien cheeped quietly as he nuzzled her cheek and she looked at him, pecking the top of his head. “I need to get ready for work bud..but then after that, I’m getting some answers.”

The day rolled by like any other, except this time her headache just wasn’t going away. Since Slender had literally pulled her brin apart, her headache was showing no signs of stopping or even pulling back on the pain. She was happy when Sam bought her some Advil, instantly popping two into her mouth.

“Are you alright Mara? I haven’t seen you use pills since last years exams.” Sam gave her a concerned look as she guzzled another glass of water.

Mara took a breath and sighed. “Yes I’m fine..just didn’t sleep well last night and now Karma is kicking me in the head for it.”

“Well, don’t let it tear you apart.” Sam patted her back.

Mara groaned and leaned on the counter, crossing her arms to rest her head on them as she prayed the pills would help. Maybe Lorien could ease the pain later with a dream spell. It was only 3pm and being a Thursday meant that only a handful of people would even be there tonight. It was their slowest day of the week and Mara had already taken care of most of the cleaning. She jolted as an elbow jabbed into her side, effectively making her stand tall and glare at Sam while rubbing her side. “What the hell was that for?”

“Look alive princess~” Sam chuckles and points to the figure walking over. “Didn’t you say you two broke up?”

Mara’s jaw dropped a bit as Lou walked up to the counter, his mask on and sat quietly at the seat in front of Mara. She blinked a little and commented to Sam with a slight edge to her tone. “Can we be alone for a moment?”

“Take the booth.” Sam shrugged and Lou glanced over to the booths that were set up. Lou got up and went to the private booth and before Mara followed Sam muttered to her. “If there’s trouble kick his ass.”

Mara smiled and nodded, even though she knew there wouldn’t be a point to. Quickly walking over she got into the booth with Lou and closed the doors, sighing as she looked to him. “What are you doing here?”

“Wow..this place is really fancy I didn’t get a good look before.” Lou said as he looked around the booth, basically avoiding Mara.

Mara glared and grabbed the collar of his hoodie and yanking him closer to look at her, once he did she grumbled. “Lou, focus. You could get in trouble here, Slender already told me I couldn’t see you because of..well..”

Lou saw the hesitant look as her eyes averted from him, and gently took her hand off his hoodie. “I know, honestly I knew that something like this would happen. But i’m not here against the rules, I actually have some news and I offered to tell you.”

Mara relaxed a little and her hand dropped to the table with his, but she only looked at him. “What is it then?”

“Ben has finished the decoding. The others are now waiting for when you can come over and make a list of people. A few CP’s volunteered to give you a hand making the list.”

“Who wants to help?”

“Um...Eyeless Jack, Mrs. P, Dr. Smiley, Judge Angel, and Hobo Heart.” Lou replied and huffed to the side. “I don’t know why EJ wants to help but..”

Mara was actually surprised she even had people wanting to help her. “Well..that’s good then, thanks..”

“Something on your mind?” Lou asked, casually leaning back and his thumb began to rub her knuckles.

Mara let him but she wasn’t sure about telling him. There wasn’t a reason to lie to him though, and maybe he would be a good outlet. “Slender tried to peek into my memories, but we were unlucky..all he said that he could see was a hospital or something.”

“Huh..well, maybe you should talk to your parents about it.” Lou shrugged.

“No, I already asked and my mother denied it, I can’t help but feel like they’re hiding something..so i’m going to go to the hospital and find out.” Mara replied with a new flame of determination.

“Well if you want I can see if the SCP’s would pitch in to find this intel, they’ve lived in an asylum all their lives. Even if it’s not the same hospital they might be able to sneak into the local hospital here.” Lou suggested.

“No thank you..” Mara smiled. “Sorry Lou but this is something I need to find out for myself. It’s just personal.”

“No I get it. Anything else on your mind?”

“Yeah..in order to get the money for you guys I had to lie to my parents..and to a new friend..I hate lying but there’s no way I could tell them I was getting the money to “friends”, much less killers.” Mara’s voice became brittle, damn near cracking. “And now, I’m going on a date with a guy because of this lie!”

Lou’s hand tensed and then gripped hers tightly, Mara looked at him and forced herself to breathe normally to avoid the stress rising in her voice. He leaned forward and removed the mask before speaking in a gravelly voice. “Mara..as a CP we do what we need to no matter how much we fucking hate it. You’re helping us and that’s what matters.”

Mara’s voice was low as she sighed and replied. “I know but..this is all so much..lying and scared of someone finding out the truth..it’s already a lot on top of having to go out with someone. What if he gets mad at me? What if I spill the truth? Hell what if he tries to kiss me?!”

Lou raised a brow and sighed. “God you’re one of those people..look, Mara I get that lying isn’t your thing, but the sooner you help the CP’s the sooner things can return to normal for you.”

Mara nodded a little, knowing that’s the only solution for her. She jolted as his fingers intertwined with hers and he muttered. “And if that guy throws a fucking tantrum about who you are i’ll slit the guy’s throat myself.”

Mara felt horrified at the thought, and shook her head. “That won't be necessary..Jacob is kind but I feel more guilty than anything..especially..well if the date does go well then in the future he could find out what i’ve been hiding.”

Lou cupped her cheek and she leaned to his touch, feeling comfortable as she rested against his calloused hand. “Mara, you can ask almost anyone in the mansion and they’ll understand betrayal. If this Jacob guy hurts you then it’s his loss, but I highly doubt he’d believe you were helping killers.”

Mara gave a small chuckle. “Yeah, that would be hard to believe..thanks Lou.”

“Anytime.” He answered simply and let go of her, moving his hands away and leaving Mara disappointed. Lou caught onto the look she gave him and said. “It’s time for me to head out.”

“I understand..” Mara opened the doors and stepped out of the booth. Loud hurried to get his mask on and then Mara glanced at him. “Tell Slender I’ll start the list on Sunday...and there’s something you need to take to him.”

“What’s that?” Lou asked, tilting his head.

“In my house on my table is a pile of letters, but there’s one that’s not signed by anyone. Please take it to him.”

Lou nodded and walked out of the club, the place only had a couple people at the tables and a few at the bar by this point. Mara returned behind the counter and tried to focus on work rather than the thoughts of the date, her family, and the CP’s. Something nagged at her mind, Lou mentioned how things would return to normal, but she knew he was lying. After this she may need a lot of therapy, or she may need Slender to erase her memories, it would be too much to bear.

When her shift ended she was greeted by Hoodie,who quickly grabbed her arm before pulling her into the nearest alleyway. “H-hoodie what is it? Is something wrong?”

“Yes! Slender is fucking pissed as hell and needs to speak with you!” Hoodie hissed and teleported them.

Mara barely got over her disorientation before Hoodie dragged her through the woods. “W-wait what happened? Was it because I spoke to Lou?”

“No, it’s because of the damn letter!” 

“The letter? Why is he mad about that?” Mara tried to call out louder as Hoodie broke out into a sprint.

When he didn’t answer Mara felt dread build up in her gut, and stepping to the door of the mansion just made her oxygen disappear. Walking inside, her heart then dropped, it was silent. No one was in the living room and Hoodie soon let go of her, leaving a burning feeling on her arm. She quickly examined her arm before looking at Hoodie, who left the room wordlessly, that alone signaled her to stay. She sat in one of the reading chairs, rubbing her arm gently as she tried to think of what happened when she got the letter.

Slender soon appeared in front of her, her headache returning as he crossed his arms. She flinched as he began to speak. “Where did you get this letter?”

A tendril held out the letter to her, and she glanced to the ground. “My mail box..it wasn’t signed and it was just..I don’t know who sent it..”

“One of the council members did.” Slender growled. “Have you had contact with them? Have you met one of them?”

“No!” Mara answered immediately. “At least I don’t think..I don’t recall meeting one. Shouldn’t you know? You’re one of them! Hell, just this morning you went through my memories-!”

Mara gasped and gagged as a tendril wrapped around her neck, lifting her up and cutting her oxygen slowly. She squirmed as her lungs burned, she tried to claw into the tendril to support herself up and try to get air. The same ache that she felt that morning returned, he was searching her mind! 

“You have no idea how hard it is to take care of my kind..” Slender’s voice was low and demonic, now his mouth actually open as he spoke. “How much trust you have to build, and if the council is telling you to leave that means you’re untrustworthy..they only tried to make it sound like a human was telling you not to come to the forest to not alarm you.”

Tears began to run down her cheeks as she felt her strength leaving her. “S-slen-d-”

“I know what I have to do..the council can’t be trusted right now..” Slender grumbled as the tendril tightened.

Mara’s eyes began to droop and the last bit of air she was able to get was quickly leaving her. Tired..weak….falling...THUD!

Mara’s eyes snapped open as she gasped and coughed, suddenly feeling the floor below her she turned onto her side and noticed Slender growling at Jeff. His tendril was cut off, the other piece that held her neck was on the ground, Jeff looked down right pissed at the tall man. Mara couldn’t find the energy to stand, much less to speak, and all she could do was watch through teary eyes.

“Jeff..Stand down, the council was trying to-”

“I don’t give a fuck! You can’t just erase her mind!” Jeff snapped back, blade still ready in hand. “I’ve fought you before and I’ll do it again if I have to!”

“If I remember right I nearly killed you.” Slender growled. “If she does not lose her memories the council could just try to kill her, would you rather have that?”

“They won’t kill her.” Jeff stated firmly. “You told me yourself that she can’t be killed unless she’s committed a crime. And she hasn’t! She’s risking everything!”

Slender’s mouth slowly formed back together as he sighed and groaned. “Although that is true, the letter was only a small threat, the council members may be killers but they’re not complete savages..I will try to talk to them, but I can’t guarantee Mara’s safety.”

Slender vanished from the room and Mara slowly got up, her legs shaking like a baby dear before nearly collapsing from her mind spinning. Jeff quickly grabbed her and helped her to sit down, moving his cold hands to her neck. “Sorry about that..when he told everyone to stay out of the living room I had a feeling something was wrong..”

“Why-” Mara choked out before coughing, looking at the killer before her.

Jeff moved his hands away and let her have her fit before answering. “Don’t be stupid, why wouldn’t I help you? You’ve done nothing wrong and the council is being a fucking bitch.”

Mara rubbed her sore neck and swallowed, trying to wet her dry throat, with her other hand she wiped away the lingering tears. “I-I thought I could t-trust Slender..”

“He’s just pissed off, he believed that the council was following you or was trying to use you as a spy. It’s not the first time he’s nearly strangled someone because of the Council.” Jeff said and stood up.

“Why though? Why-d..don’t trust us?” Mara’s voice cracked a little and looked up to him.

“I wish I knew..but they are being extra pushy this time.” Jeff shrugged.

“Are you alright Mara?” A voice called, and looking over Mara spotted LJ who was peeking around the corner.

“It’s all good LJ, Slender’s gonna talk to the council.” Jeff called to him, signalling him over with a tilt of his head.

LJ walked over and gave a small smirk to Mara. “well, you can say you survived a Slender attack!”

Mara gave him a “not helping” look and Jeff slapped the back of LJ’s head. The clown winced but then chuckled and took out a candy from his sleeve. “Here, this may help your throat.”

Mara accepted the small red sweet and instantly removed the paper and popped it into her mouth, nearly groaning by the taste alone. It was sweet and already had her salivating from the sugary cherry flavor. LJ gave a chuckle. “Good huh? You can ask me for more anytime.”

“Oh wow you fucking ass, we’ve known each other for years and you never offered me candy.” Jeff grumbled at him.

“You said you didn’t like sweets!”

“I do! Just not all the time like Sally would!”

Mara watched them silently as they argued back and forth. Despite the events that just occurred she couldn’t help but smile and let out a giggle. They both looked at her with questioning eyes and she calmed herself down enough to answer. “I see why you two were a couple.”

Both of the killers eyes widened, and both instantly looked opposite ways from each other. Mara could practically see the tension growing between them as they awkwardly shifted away from each other. She sighed. “I already know what happened guys..I thought you two made a cute couple.”

“It’s in the past.” Jeff muttered, crossing his arms.

LJ glanced at Jeff with what could only be described as hurt, but nodded. “Yeah, there was no way it was going to last. We’re killers after all.”

“But it did last, you guys were together for 3 years!” Mara exclaimed as she stood up.

“That’s besides the point!” Jeff snarled at her. “Mara, you should stay here for a while, it’s the only place that you can be protected.”

“I’m not a baby Jeff I can take care of myself.” Mara glared at him. “I told you guys I was going to change the councils minds.”

“Wait what?” LJ looked at her in surprise. “You have no idea what the council’s like, hell only Slender and Dr.Smiley know them.”

“Well maybe I can talk to them after this whole mess.” Mara said, not sounding doubtful at all.

Jeff’s expression was one of a stubbornly concerned brother, trying to act like he doesn’t care. But LJ was more of the expression of a confused friend, one that was trying to talk you out of something stupid. Mara smiled to them before adding on. “I promise I’ll fix things.”

LJ began to laugh suddenly, actually making Mara jolt back and Jeff rolled his eyes. LJ playfully ruffled her hair before saying. “You’ve got spunk Mara! Honestly, if you need to talk to someone about the council you should bring it up to Dr.Smiley!”

“I will.” Mara said before smacking his hand off to fix her hair. “Enough! I don’t like being pet!”

LJ just chuckled but moved his hand away. “You sound a bit like Jeff.”

“I’m right here asshole.” Jeff grumbled. “Come on Mara I’ll walk you home.”

Mara didn’t argue, and the company would be appreciated. She followed Jeff silently and as they walked through the woods she let out a sigh and relaxed under the warm evening. Jeff walked with her quietly, his eyes looking only ahead of them while Mara kept looking around for distractions. “Jeff..? what happened when you first reached the mansion?”

He looked to her in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

“I mean..what was it like when you first arrived?”

“A fucking nightmare! Slender..kicked my ass.” Jeff hissed out. “And when I woke up I was in the basement, strapped to a damn table.”

“But, were all the others there?” Mara asked, gaining his attention again.”

“Sort of, some were there but more came in the few months I lived there. When I got there, there was probably only..maybe 14 people.”

“Wow..that’s actually kind of..”

“Yeah. It was awkward.” Jeff shrugged. “It was mostly because Slender and Zalgo were fighting for territory and many of the CPs, like me, were refusing to join. I only joined because I had no other place to call home.”

“Can you tell me about it? Please?” Mara smiled a little.

Jeff looked unsure but sighed and stopped to sit under one of the nearby trees, leaning his back against it. “Fine, sit your ass down and i’ll tell you about it."


	16. Join Party?

Jeff was not sure where he was, just that he was worn out and sore. Regaining consciousness he cursed at the light in the room and struggled to sit up. Feeling the restraints he growled and laid back for a moment before using all of his strength to break his right arm free. Now with his hand free he tore off the other leather strap and sat up to undo the other straps around his ankles.

He hopped off the bed and looked to the counter, smirking as he took his knife and looked around with a glare. “The fuck is this? A hospital?”

The room was darker than a hospital would normally be, with the stench of blood and rot lingering, the walls and floor having small puddles and spurts of blood on the ground. There were only a couple hospital beds and a couple monitors, otherwise it looked like a basement that someone made for illegal treatment. Jeff didn’t want to wait too long, the only thing he could remember was that..thing.

His lips curled into a snarl at the memory. The tall creature had tried to grab him with his weird arms and wouldn’t say anything, it just kept pulling him into the forest. Once he managed to free a hand long enough to cut off a tendril the creature roared at him with a demonic wail and attacked him. The fight was difficult, Jeff couldn’t even catch his breath as the man lunged and tried to stab him with the black appendages, and the thing managed to slam him into the ground or a tree a couple times.

At that thought a light throbbing awoke in his head and he hissed as sudden pain registered and shot up his spine. He didn’t have to look, he knew that there was probably black and purple bruises up his back, and he could feel his muscles screaming at him to lay back down. With a growl he forced his legs to move up the stairs and open the door, the door creaked as he opened it and he looked out with caution. Seeing nothing he stepped out slowly, trying to keep light on his feet, but he couldn’t help but look around. From the cold and dark basement, the first floor was lit up with candles and small lanterns, and it seemed he entered a hallway right in front of a kitchen.

He didn’t know why he was here, whether someone was just trying to help him or possibly kill him, but he was not going to stick around to find out. It didn’t take long to find the door after passing some oddly empty living rooms, only a couple chairs were around, and he reached the door. A force suddenly slammed against him, making his body call out in pain and he bit it back with a groan as he looked over his shoulder. “Who are you? And what are you doing in this mansion?!”

“The fuck are you talking about? I’m trying to leave!” Jeff growled out as he tried to look at the figure.

“Why am I having trouble believing an ugly ass freak?” The voice hissed.

Finally Jeff kicked the man behind him and turned enough to punch the guy across what he assumed to be his jaw. The figure backed up and the light around them was enough for Jeff to see it was a hooded figure, the black hood with a red frowning face over his face. The man held a lead pipe and stood ready for a fight, Jeff simply took out his knife and grinned. “Got something to hide fucker? It’ll be fun carving a smile on you.”

“Try it freak.” He challenged and swung the pipe at Jeff, who instantly dodged and then grabbed the other end of it.

They both struggled to control the pipe when Jeff tugged him closer and raised the knife above the guy. The hooded figure grabbed his wrist and slammed him right into the banister of the stairs, making Jeff grunt in pain and let go of the pipe but flipped his blade and cut the man across his arm. Jeff cursed a little that he wasn’t able to hit an artery but quickly moved and began running down the hall, if he could loop around maybe-

BANG!

THE HELL HE HAS A GUN!? Jeff’s heart beat faster as he turned the corner and another shot rang off, the bullet burying itself into the wall Jeff ducked behind. Jeff ran around, the house was open concept though so it would be impossible to hide! The killer felt his heart race and for a second, he swore he could feel his blood pumping through his veins. Taking a deep breath he grinned and heard footsteps get closer, he flipped the knife in his hand before turning the corner and slashing the knife up. The man was able to block it but gasped in pain as a gash was cut into his arm.

Jeff stopped for a moment and looked at him...he wasn’t the same guy. This guy had a creepy ass mask so where was the hooded one? Jeff barely turned before the hooded guy pinned him to the ground, and the mask guy was cursing and trying to pry the knife from Jeff’s hand. The three of them were struggling and spitting out insults at each other before another figure walked towards them, the tall man. The masked and hooded man stopped talking immediately but continued to hold Jeff down as they looked to the creature.

“You are Jeffrey Woods correct? Or Jeff the Killer?” The thing before Jeff spoke, the voice felt like an echo in his head though that rattled his core.

“W-what the fuck?! How are you talking?!” Jeff shouted to him, trying to raise his head from the wood floors.

“That’s complicated to explain, now, are you Jeff the Killer?” The creature asked with mild irritation.

Jeff huffed and groaned a bit. “Who wants to know?”

“I’m Slender man, the men holding you down are Masky and Hoodie. My proxies.” Slender replied. 

“I’m Jeff...congrats you caught me.” Jeff mocked. “Now, let me go before I stick my knife through one of your minions heads.”

“I would like to see you try.” Masky growled at him, pressing Jeff’s head to the ground again. “Slender is it really worth keeping this guy around?”

“I’ve seen what he can do Masky, he’s an exceptional creepypasta.” Slender said, signalling the proxies off of Jeff.

As Jeff stood he ignored the pain and glared. “A creepy what? I’m not here to join a club you fuckers, I’m going on my own!”

Jeff walked past them as he made his way to the door but something wrapped around his arm and yanked him backwards and his back hit the floor. A gasp of pain escaped Jeff as he looked to the pale figure and growled. “And where are you going?”

“I said I'm not joining your creep group!”

“And you forget that you are a wanted killer right now, where would you stay?”

Jeff stopped and thought to himself, he doesn’t have a place to stay, and he was getting hungrier with each passing day. He couldn’t remember much..he carved a smile on himself..then killed his family, then it was a blur..Torturing families, killing people, running constantly. Jeff knew he had nowhere to go and scoffed. “Fine, I’ll stay for one night.”

One night of course ended up being longer, Jeff had only been there for a month and more CP’s were starting to come around. The only reason he bothered to stay was it was a good place to hide after committing murder, and it was fairly peaceful. He would leave late, come back and shower, eat, then sleep. He never bothered to talk to anyone unless they threatened him or the proxies asked a question about what he wanted or needed. Jeff’s room was plain, just dark wood walls and black sheets on his bed along with a nightstand and a dresser. 

Jeff still saw the “Creepypastas” as a bullshit concept. According to Slender, they were supposed to kill for a living and live with Slender in the mansion. That was it, there was no rent pay or anything, they had to act as a group though. Jeff had no intention to be friends with any freaks in the mansion, they couldn’t be better than him at killing. Plus, even if he did have a situation where he needed others, they would just slow him down or get caught by his knives.

The worst part of this mansion, if he fought with someone he would be scolded even though the other person started it! It was a damn conspiracy! Rather than taking this frustration out on his walls he got up from his bed and left his room, trying to avoid CP’s along the way. He reached the door, but just in the time that Slender passed him.

“Jeff where are you going? Dinner will be ready in an hour.”

“I’m going out, I feel cooped up in here.” Jeff huffed at him, opening the door.

“Why haven’t you tried talking to the other CPs? I’m sure you’d-”

“See ya later!” Jeff shouted as he ran out from the house.

Jeff shook his head a little while he ran towards the town. What did that faceless man know? He was fine before going there and he could do better on his own. Getting into the town he quickly looked for a house before picking one and slipping through an unlocked window. Jeff slowly creeped around as he checked the downstairs first, a little surprised by how quiet it was, it was only midnight. Seeing no one downstairs he began to walk upstairs and then a strong smell hit his nose, something foul yet sweet. He checked the first room closest to him to see it was empty, but then turned to the hall and let his nose guide him.

There was a faint singing, no, more like a lullaby was playing. Jeff was thankful he was good at seeing in the dark as he slowly moved a door open. The lullaby was louder but no one was singing it, it was just playing. In the room there was a taller figure hanging a child and from the child his stomach leaked candy. Jeff was mildly disgusted but then realized, it must be another CP or killer. He got up and walked in casually, but the other killer was too distracted with hanging the kid as he chuckled to himself.

“Hey, you’re stepping in my turf.” Jeff snarled at him.

The music halted and the other figure turned to him, and Jeff could see a large shark grin from the man as he laughed. “And who are you?”

Rolling his eyes Jeff flicked the lights on, which caused him to hiss a bit but the other figure seemed unaffected. Jeff finally got a good look at him. It looked like a black and white clown with fluffy black hair and looked to be a good foot taller than Jeff, but it was hard to tell because the clown was slouching. “Name is Jeff the Killer.”

“Ah I see.” The clown muttered and rubbed his eyes, it shocked Jeff to see how his eyes changed from a dark and heartless being to somehow sweet and playful. The clown grinned and mocked a bow to Jeff. “Pardon my intrusion killer~ but you see I just got here and I need to lie low for a bit.”

“Lie low?” Jeff raised a brow, looking at the body behind him.

“Well, it’s an improvement~” He shrugged with a chuckle. “I’m Laughing Jack~”

“Uh huh..well, scram, there’s already enough killers in this damn city.” Jeff huffed as he turned away.

Just as he turned he felt a burning pain on his back as something dug into it, making his gasp out and quickly turn to swipe his knife at the Laughing Killer. Jeff hissed and moved his free hand to feel his back, which caused his blood to boil when he felt four long claw marks up his back. “You son of a bitch..”

“Sorry kid, but the only killer that can stake his claim, is the one that kills all the killers.” LJ chuckled and started walking towards Jeff.

“Well I hate to break it to you, but you’re no match for what’s in the woods.” Jeff smirked and lunged at him with the knife.

LJ was quick but Jeff being smaller and have better reflexes, Jeff managed to slide his knife along LJ’s arm to make blood seep out. LJ glared and grabbed Jeff’s hood, throwing him into the wall, the pale killer slightly disoriented and surprised by the strength. Jeff wasted no time though as LJ was about to claw at Jeff again, he quickly stabbed the blade upwards into LJ’s arm and then grabbed it, throwing the larger body to the ground. Because this was only a hallway there wasn’t enough manuvering space to Jeff’s liking.

Jeff let go fast to avoid the clown’s claws and sped down the stairs before turning in the living room. LJ growled as he followed but jumped down the banister instead of using the stairs and lunged at Jeff. “You know I didn’t realize how ugly you were until now~” 

Jeff glared and tried to stab him but the clown hopped back onto the couch and teased. “Aw~ did I hit a nerve?” He chuckled.

“Oh you hit a nerve alright!” Jeff snarled and jumped at LJ, knocking him off the couch and attempted to stab the clown, but his wrists were being forced back by LJ.

At first LJ was genuinely having fun but at the sight of a car’s headlights outside he panicked a bit. He squirmed enough to kick Jeff off him. “Playtime is over! The parents are home-”

His words were cut off when Jeff punched him in the jaw, making the clown stagger back and look at the killer in shock. What he saw was a rage in the younger killers eyes, a rage that wasn’t tame. He looked up quickly as the door handle jiggled and LJ grabbed the killer, hauling him over his shoulder. Jeff let out a grunt and began to kick up a fuss. “Set me down you pathetic clown! Fight like a killer!”

LJ ignored him as he kicked the back door open and ran towards the woods, hearing a faint scream from the house that left a grin on his face. His body staggered forward when he felt something sharp enter his back and Jeff kneed him in the stomach. As he fell, Jeff was dropped and he glared at LJ. “Get ready to smile~”

LJ hopped up, despite the pain in his shoulder and grabbed Jeff’s neck as the killer attempted to tackle him. “Wait a second you fucking idiot!”

Jeff didn’t though, slamming his heel into the clown he then slammed his forehead to LJ’s, causing LJ to hiss and glare. LJ didn’t see much else of a choice as he grabbed Jeff’s arm and bit into his neck to make the killer freeze long enough for LJ to hit the back of his head hard enough for the killer to go limp. LJ released his hold and Jeff’s body fell and looked around hesitantly, debating what to do.

Jeff awoke later, much later considering how cold it was outside. Jeff groaned and looked out at the sky when he noticed that his hoodie was gone, and noticed a stream nearby. His head was a little clouded and he felt tired but forced himself closer to the water to drink from. His eyes gazed up afterwards to the clown, who had his shirt off to reveal his lanky yet toned body. Jeff resisted the urge to yell at him as he saw LJ cleaning the knife wound on his shoulder, he quickly began to search for his knife.

“Looking for something?” LJ’s voice played out as he looked over at Jeff with a grin and held up the bloody knife.

Jeff glared and sat up, hissing a little as pain flared in Jeff’s back. “Give it back you fucker.”

“I’ll give it back when i’m sure you have your killer instincts under control.” LJ teased and stuffed the knife into his shirt that was folded off to the side. 

“My killer instincts? The fuck are you talking about?”

“You’re a fairly young killer right? You have no control over your blood lust.” LJ pointed out as he turned to Jeff, crossing his legs into a pretzel shape.

“Yeah, so what of it? I can take care of myself.” Jeff glared and growled as LJ began laughing. “What’s so funny?!”

“Yo-you say that but-” LJ forced himself to stop laughing before he continued. “But you nearly got your ass killed by me!”

Jeff’s face flushed with embarrassment as he felt his neck, touching the indents of LJ’s teeth on his skin. “I would’ve killed you eventually!”

“No, you wouldn’t have.” LJ shook his head and grinned. “Seriously it took me years to get my instincts to cooperate with my blood lust.”

Jeff raised a brow and huffed. “How old are you?”

“Well..1800’s England.” LJ thought, tapping his fingers on his knees.

Jeff’s jaw dropped and had a crossed look of shock and confusion. “You’re over 100 years old?! How do you fight so well?!”

LJ laughed and answered. “When you’ve lived as long as me you have to learn some new tricks if you want to live.”

“But why are you here then?” Jeff demanded an answer.

“Like I said, to lay low. Lately, my killings were becoming too noticeable in Europe and I needed a new place. But it’s not like there’s a shelter for killers.” LJ shrugged and began to slip his shirt back on. “As for you butter fingers, you nearly made me get caught on my first official kill here.”

Jeff bit back what he was going to say about the ‘butter fingers’ comment and thought to himself. “You need a place?”

“Yep! So if you don’t mind i’m going to look.” LJ smiled and stood up, throwing Jeff’s hoodie back to him and began walking.

Jeff quickly slipped his hoodie on and yelled out. “Hold it clown!”

LJ looked annoyed but turned to Jeff with a grin. “Yes?”

“Look, you may not like family and shit but...there’s a mansion in the woods for people like us.” Jeff shrugged as he walked closer.

“You’re kidding right? And no human has stumbled upon it?” LJ crossed his arms.

Jeff grinned. “Oh they have, they just don’t live to tell anyone.”

LJ tilted his head and huffed. “Guess it wouldn’t hurt to look. Who owns it?”

“The creature named Slenderman, he practically owns these woods and most humans don’t dare to go too deep into these woods.” Jeff said as he began walking to the mansion. “Stick close, fog will fuck up your sense of location.”

LJ said nothing but followed Jeff, staying close as he looked around. They were quiet while they walked, but Jeff kept looking at LJ to make sure he wouldn’t try anything stupid. After a while LJ’s eye caught Jeff’s and both looked away. “Soooo..you’re part of this family?”

Jeff huffed and pulled his hood over his head. “Slender calls us Creepypasta’s. Something along the lines of family of killers that protect each other.”

“Huh..well not the worse sounding place..if you guys are family thought you guys must have a lot of defense power.” LJ pointed out.

“Ha! More like everyone’s at each other’s throats!” Jeff chuckled a bit, causing LJ to look at him in surprise. “What?”

“So you don’t like it there?”

“Pfft, everyone is weak.” Jeff shrugged. “I can do without them anyways.”

“Then why stick around?” LJ asked, getting bored and flipped around to walk on his hands.

“Because-” Jeff stopped and raised a brow at LJ’s antics but sighed and continued. “You’re so fucking weird..because, it’s warm food and a place to stay. I don’t owe anything, Slender offered it to me.”

LJ flipped back over onto his feet and laughed. “Sounds like you owe him a lot! Especially putting up with your grumpy ass~”

Jeff glared under the hood and hissed back. “Not like you’ll be a great addition to the family. There’s cannibals, gamer geeks, and other killers. I highly doubt we need a pedo clown killer.”

“Pedo!?” LJ growled. “I happen to go after kids, but only to kill!”

“Pedo~” Jeff grinned and dodged when LJ tried to swing at him. “Seriously, why kids? I just go after everyone.”

“It’s um..hard to explain.” LJ said and went quiet, making Jeff feel uncomfortable.

“And..the reason you look like this?” Jeff asked, hoping to steer him from this quiet.

“Again..hard to explain.” LJ muttered, his eyes swimming with hurt.

Jeff continued walking as LJ’s gaze kept looking everywhere but Jeff, making Jeff sigh. “Look we all have terrible pasts. Slender will ask you to tell him your story, so just get it over with.”

“Same with you? From the scar?” LJ asked, motioning the smile across Jeff’s cheeks.

“yeah..I don’t like to talk about it.” Jeff huffed. “We’re here.”

LJ looked up at the large mansion in surprise, how the hell did no human find this? Jeff casually walked up and opened the door. There were some voices echoing in the mansion, some laughter and some yelling. LJ followed behind Jeff as the younger killer lead LJ to the living room.

“Hey! Anyone see Slender!?” Jeff yelled out, some CP’s looked at him but others ignored him.

“He’s in his office!” One person, Eyeless Jack called out.

Jeff nodded and walked the other way, LJ followed but was tempted to snap at the CP’s staring at him. Jeff walked to the office door and knocked. “Slender? You in there?”

The door opened and LJ’s eyes widened at the tall man, even when he spoke LJ’s eyes got impossibly wider. “Jeff! I was getting worried! You were gone for four hours!”

“Really? Huh..didn’t notice.” Jeff shrugged. “But I got a new guy here, he needs a place to stay.”

Slender turned to look at LJ and the clown hated the shiver that ran down his spine. “I see..come inside, we’ll talk.”

LJ did as he was instructed as Jeff walked off, sulking to himself. LJ sat in the office chair and grinned. “Wow, no wonder you’re called the Slenderman.”

“Yes it is hence the name.” Slender spoke as he sat down. “And I see you and Jeff had a run in with each other.”

LJ chuckled and touched the knife wound. “You could say that. I treated him as best as I could but I’m no doctor. But he mentioned this place and I was curious.”

“I see, well we have plenty of space if you wanted to stay. But there are rules for being here.” Slender spoke.

“Got it~! Well I hope that fighting is still allowed~” LJ laughed to himself.

“Kind of, it’s situational..but I would like you to stay. I believe you’re the first CP Jeff’s ever spoken to without him getting completely frustrated.” Slender said.

LJ paused and thought, seeing how the killer may have trouble opening up with his superior attitude, and LJ saw a fun challenge in it. “I’m in~”

~Back to the present~

“So LJ told me all about their meeting after he got out. Dumb bastard probably didn’t know what he was getting into.” Jeff shrugged.

“What do you mean?” Mara asked, tilting her head.

“Oh we would play pranks back and forth on each other.” Jeff said and stood up. “Come on, I need to get you home.”

Mara smiled and got up, following Jeff. “Jeff, I know we can fix this. I have a plan to talk to the council-”

“Mara do me a favor.” Jeff cut her off as he looked at her. “Don’t continue helping us.”

“What?” Mara asked, genuinely shocked. “Why Jeff?”

“Because you’ll get hurt! Maybe killed!” Jeff snapped at her. “Our lives are controlled and already over when they took our humanity, you don’t need to stick your neck out for us!”

“Jeff i’m already committed to this.” Mara glared a little. “I know you’re scared-”

“I’m not scared!”

“Then why are you being so defensive?!”

“Because you’re not a CP!”

Mara glared at Jeff and huffed. “Yeah I’m not, I’m not strong or fast or even a killer. But I’m doing this because I want to help!”

“Oh cut the samaritan act! Do something for yourself for once! You have no idea what death feels like or how others feel after it!” Jeff growled, but Mara could see right through it.

“Jeff..I’m not going to die.” Mara said softly, putting a hand on his shoulder, which felt tense under her hand.

Jeff looked like he was going to argue again but let out a low growl. “You better not..” 

Mara smiled and started walking with him again. “I won’t Jeff I promise.”


	17. Savepoint

Chapter 17- Savepoint

Because of last night, Mara didn’t get to bed late and was very grumpy as she arrived at work. June 21st, a Friday, aka lots of people and probably a rough night. Now that the fiasco was over she returned to a normal schedule, meaning she was going to be there until at least 11pm. She was mainly pissed off from lack of sleep but she’s not going to lie that part of it was her fault for asking Jeff about the past. She understood now, some of the CP’s didn’t want to be there but learned to get used to it, maybe even love their home.

Even with the incident with Slender she could understand his reasons, he’s scared that his family will be hurt. That is understandable, but why does the council want to stop her so much? Why force Slender to nearly kill her? Was it that...they wanted to kill the CP’s off? 

“Negative thoughts begone!”

“OW! The fuck Sam!?” Mara yelped as she rubbed her head.

Sam smirked at her and set the clipboard in his hand down on the counter. “You’re mumbling, you look grouchy, and ready to kill someone.”

“Gee, that sounds like a great person to hit.” Mara grumbled and stood up straight. 

“Seriously, are you ok? Was it about that guy that came in yesterday?”

“No not him..it’s nothing Sam.” Mara shrugged.

“You say that but you look so much more..drained lately.” Sam said in worry. “You’re always tired, you sound upset more than normal, and you keep looking around as if you’re being stalked.”

“Alright so i’m a bit on edge.” Mara huffed. “Seriously Sam, if I wasn’t alright I would tell Alyssa and she would relay it to you.”

“As always..but seriously, maybe you should take some more time off.” Sam said as he made her a drink.

“No, I need to save up as much money as possible to pay my parents back.” 

“Mara do you really think they want money?” Sam chuckled, handing her the drink.

Mara gave a small smile as she took a sip then asked. “Sam, if..if there was a friend of mine who had a relationship problem what would you suggest?”

Sam raised a brow at her. “Well that’s a broad question.”

“Sorry, he broke up with his boyfriend years ago due to his..parents..but he and his boyfriend still love each other. But his parents would literally kill them if they got together.” Mara tried to explain without giving too much away.

Sam tapped his fingers on the counter. “Well, eloping is always an option. But, they should stand up to their parents.”

Mara resisted laughing, as much as she would love to see the CP’s scold or attack the Council she knew it would be a bloodbath. “Um..well that’s why I’m in on this, I want to stand up for them.”

Sam sighed. “You are going to get killed Mara. if you want to do that I suggest having a stronger influence with you. A family friend of theirs or a child they actually listen to.”

Mara nodded. “Alright that would work. I think. Thanks Sam.”

Sam smiled and nodded before walking off to take care of the snacks in the kitchen. Mara thought to herself for a moment, Slender wouldn’t be a bad influence. But then again she hasn’t met the council, only knowing that they’re a bunch of assholes. She’ll have to come up with a plan later. It was only 1pm and with only a couple people she wasn’t too worried about daydreaming. She barely registered the person in front of her before a hand was waved in front of her face.

“Hey, you awake?” 

Mara blinked and looked down into black sockets, making her jump back and suppress a gasp. “Dear god Eyele- I mean, Jack. what are you doing here? And for that matter why do you not have a disguise?!”

EJ was unaffected by her hiss, but he shrugged as he looked to his normal attire. “I’m wearing my hoodie, my pants, and my mask so what’s the problem?”

“You have no eyes!” Mara whispered to him but was tempted to throw a towel over his head.

“And? People will think I’m a cosplayer.” EJ spoke up. “Isn’t that normal for humans?”

Mara sighed and looked around. “I guess..not really for this club but maybe it’ll keep people away from you.”

“Right..well, I brought Ben’s phone. Ben suggested we start ahead in the list before you arrive tonight.” EJ said as he took out the phone.

“Alright, sounds good.” Mara shrugged, figuring she had nothing else to do.

The next couple hours went by and Mara answered EJ as often as she could as more people showed up but was easily able to talk to him when it was slow. The people that were on the list were widdled down to sex offenders, criminals, people with hard offenses. She was thankful that Ben even managed to narrow down the list of people from her dad’s computer, but she knew he’d probably complain later.

“Uh, Arnold Winter, is divorced and was accused of domestic abuse 5 years ago but showed signs of improvement for the last couple years in therapy. He’s currently working as a construction worker and has a girlfriend who never reported anything.”

“He’s clear.”

“Ok..um Mary Jones. Was in prison for 4 years for distributing and making drugs for the black market. Currently, has a boyfriend and works in a bar as a bartender.”

“Has she been caught for anything else in more recent years?”

“Giving out ecstasy pills and just normal speeding tickets.” EJ shrugged.

“Put her under maybe,i’ll check her out more later.”

EJ set down the phone for a moment and took a sip from his drink before looking at Mara. “you really are too nice.”

“What?” Mara asked, turning to him after she put glasses into the dishwasher. “What do you mean?”

“Just..you’re really easy with this. Some people that have committed several crimes you say to kill, but others who’ve only done one thing, you want to check over three times before deciding.”

“It’s called being thorough.” Mara shrugged and walked over.

“No, you’re trying to not make a mistake that’s going to haunt you.” EJ said. “Mara, you can’t lie to someone that’s basically a doctor.”

Mara chuckled. “You? You’re a cannibal. There’s a difference.”

“No, I’m a doctor.” EJ objected. “After losing Ben I decided helping Dr.Smiley would be a good distraction.”

Mara frowned a bit. “Sorry Jack..I guess I just didn’t expect you being an actual doctor.”

EJ huffed and took another sip. “It’s fine, you barely know us anyways.”

“Jack..what’s it like being with Ben?” Mara asked. “I mean, despite the age difference, being into separate things, and well..you both being introverts.”

EJ looked a little surprised, as much as Mara could tell by the way his head turned to her. “Why do you ask?”

“Well I kinda already know how Jeff and LJ were..I was just curious about you and Ben.” Mara said carefully.

EJ thought, tapping his fingers on the glass. “Hmm...well he is..silent for the most part. He and I started being friends because I wanted a place to read or rest in peace, and he didn’t mind the company. After a while though...the guys pulled a prank on ben and I lost it. I wasn’t sure why but seeing someone make Ben cry I just got so mad.”

Mara watched as his grip squeezed the glass. “You wanted to protect him..but you don’t know why?”

EJ relaxed and sighed. “I guess. He and I would fight a couple times but make up with in a few days or hours. I don’t know..sometimes I look at him and I see a kid that never got to live his life..but other times I see a guy who’s living the life he wanted and is not afraid of showing it. Unlike me, he can come out and be who he wants.”

Mara smiled and said softly. “He still loves you. I found one of your hoodies in his room.”

“Heh..not surprised..” EJ said, and under his mask he grinned. “Sometimes he swapped from a clingy kid to an emotionally detached teen. It’s..interesting to watch. He and I wouldn’t do a lot other than staying in the same room but after he was pranked on..we started killing together and doing more...you know relationship things.”

Mara chuckled. “Well..I think you two are cute. I’m actually trying to find a way to help you guys get back to that..”

“By confronting Slender?” EJ asked.

“No, the council.” Mara said, waiting for his reaction.

EJ seemed stunned but shook his head. “You’d have better luck being a sociopath.” 

Mara glared. “Wow, now why does Ben like you?”

“Because I’m a smart ass.” EJ chuckled. “But seriously, no one other than Slender has seen the Council.”

“Maybe there’s a way I can.” Mara shrugged. “Wouldn’t they want to see the human that made a lot of this possible?”

“It’s possible, but hard to say.” EJ shrugged again before looking at the phone. “Shall we continue?”

Mara agreed and for a few more hours they continued their judging, but it slowed down as more customers started occupying the club.They both agreed to continue after she was done and EJ took his leave, but Mara was even more bored talking to strangers. During her shift, around 10, a taller man sat at the counter with shorter brown hair and dark green eyes. He probably was in his 20’s, maybe 30’s, but he seemed to be so tense.

“Mara, can I speak with you?” THe man asked and Mara froze.

“s-slender-”Mara began to speak but he quickly shushed her. 

“Mara you have several customers, shouting my name would alarm them.” He said, and not mentally, his lips were moving! This legend was in some human form but still wearing his suit and tells her not to make a scene?!

“Slender what the hell are you doing here?!” She hissed quietly. “For that matter, why do you look human?! Did you possess a body!?”

He glared at her. “Child I can do many things, but taking over a body is not one of them.”

“Just why are you here and how did you manage this?” Mara asked, looking him over and hoping she was hallucinating.

“How I managed this is none of your business.” Slender glared. “All I can say is I only have about two hours in this form before I go back to normal. And being human is a pain in the ass.”

Mara blinked and began to laugh, trying to hide it behind her hand as Slender simply glared at her. “S-sorry, just...you look good as a human Slender. But even now you’re what? 6 foot 4?”

“I won’t even deem that question with a response..” Slender sighed. “And the reason I’m here is to apologize.”

Mara relaxed a little and looked around for a moment. “Here, let me get cover so we can talk.”

Slender nodded and Mara quickly asked a co-worker for cover before leading Slender to the back room. The booths were filled so she had no choice but to lead him to the changing room, he seemed uncomfortable with how small he was now. Mara smiled and closed the door. “It’s alright Slender, none of the workers will come here.”

“I see..so, I had a word with the council.” Slender said, fixing his tie. “It is true they tried to warn you away..mainly because they’re worried you’ll change everything.”

“I don’t..what do you mean?” Mara sighed as she crossed her arms.

“The council is sort of..”old fashioned,” change is not a good thing for them. They’re worried they’ll lose their power that is given by the humans fear.” Slender explained, Mara having a difficult time seeing a man when she’s known him as a tall faceless creature.

Then it clicked. “They were trying to keep everything the same..they get noticed or at least their power by the souls of the people don’t they?”

Slender nodded. “Just like myself and Zalgo, we require souls to eat in order to live. The fear that is produced in a soul at dead makes it easier for the council to capture rather than a soul that died of good nature.”

“I get it now..” Mara said with a sigh. “God wouldn’t it have been easier to tell me that?”

“Would it have changed anything?” Slender asked with a small quirk of his lips.

Mara giggled softly. “Maybe not, but it would’ve been easier to understand why they worry..”

Slender watched as she touched her neck, which still had faint bruising that was covered by a thin layer of makeup. “I’m sorry for hurting you..”

“No, it’s fine, I understand why you did it..” Mara said with a small smile. “You really love your family don’t you?”

Slender stalled a little but then nodded. “They are all I have...even before the mansion I wandered aimlessly for food, but even monsters can be lonely.”

Mara walked closer to him and gently rubbed his back, this action seemed to make Slender freeze up and look at her curiously. “Slender, you didn’t do anything wrong. It would’ve been worse if you didn’t tell me, and if you didn’t care for them well you wouldn’t have attacked me.”

Slender seemed confused by her explanation. “That still does not excuse what I’ve done.”

“Maybe not, but I know you had a reason. Plus, thanks to that..Jeff and I finally connected again.” Mara smiled at him.

Slender blinked and chuckled. “You Mara...are truly one of a kind. I will wait for you if you’d like.”

“No thanks.” Mara said, moving away. “I need to memorize how to get to the mansion myself. But you can take the relics home if you need to.”

“Are you sure?” Slender asked with the tilt of his head. “You’ve only used it for a couple nights.”

“I’m sure, I don’t need to see more of their pasts. I need to worry about their futures.” Mara replied.

“Understood.” Slender responded then added. “Mara, the..Alternate reality I spoke of through the gems-”

“Oh yeah! When this is over I hope you plan on returning those-”

“We will.” Slender said, holding a hand up to show he wasn’t done. “I was just curious if you wanted to know about them..”

Mara sat on the ground and shrugged. “Only if it’s relevant.”

“They could be.” Slender spoke, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. “To put in short, one of those gems showed..it showed what would’ve happened if we never became CP’s, which of course meant that everyone was still human.”

Mara smiled. “Well that sounds interesting, but I don’t think it helps in this case.”

“Agreed.” Slender continued. “One of the others seemed to take place in a Pirate’s era.”

Mara chuckled. “Someone might be able to make a fanfiction off these. Is the pirate’s era real?”

“I don’t believe so, each relic is only showing what life could have been, or what it will and has been.” Slender replied. 

“The only reason you looked at them though was because you wanted answers for the council’s behaviors.” Mara finished. “When you figured out what has repeated in each world you felt the need to find a way for the CP’s to be noticed.”

“Sounds like you have all the pieces.” Slender said, getting away from the wall.

“It makes more sense.” Mara stood up and smirked. “Out of curiosity..could I see what happened in the pirate world?”

Slender returned with a small grin. “I’ll drop it off as I pick up the other relics.”

Mara chuckled and walked out of the room with Slender, letting him leave and she returned to work. It would be interesting if she could look at the relics, but seeing how the last few times went, it was probably a bad idea. Every time she used one she would feel drained or have a huge headache. The rest of the evening went smoothly and afterwards she went home to pack some clothes for the weekend at the mansion, she figured she’ll have to leave some clothes there at some point.

She finished packing and locked the windows and backdoor before smiling at Lorien. “Come on boy, time to go to the mansion.”

Lorien chirped and flew to her shoulder, laying on it as she left her home and locked the door behind her. She knew she couldn’t stay up too late since she was going out on a date tomorrow, but she could at least get settled in at the mansion and start profiling when she got back. Lorien happily flew around or sat on her as she walked through the forest, this time Mara had an idea of where she was going. However, after walking for about 10 minutes she heard a voice of a man in the distance.

“H-hello? Is someone there?”

The voice sounded like a person, maybe a camper or dumb kid. Mara thought but walked towards the voice, but she said nothing, not wanting to be questioned for what she was doing in the woods. The voice persistently called out though, making Mara skeptical.

“I wonder what is going on here..” The voice sighed.

Mara decided not to take chances and ducked behind a tree as she heard loud thumps, possibly someone with large shoes. She didn’t respond but listened and was shocked by the demand in the voice.

“Who’s there?! Show yourself!”

She carefully looked around but froze by what she saw in front of her. A large creature about 6 foot long that resembled a crocodile but with red, bloody skin. It’s long limbs had four sharp and red claws from it’s toes and a long red teeth that could be about the size from her elbow to her wrist. It wasn’t human, but it opened its mouth and let out another human call. “Show yourself!”

Mara felt her blood turn cold and started to walk away, not looking away from the creature as it turned and walked in the opposite direction. Mara’s heart was pounding as she looked to Lorien who quivered on her shoulder. She shushed him quietly as he squeaked and then as the creature was out of sight she turned and noticed a figure in the distance. It was probably the size of a man, but he was incredibly thin and had light grey skin. For some reason he was whimpering and covering his face, it...Mara knew it from somewhere.

She heard Lorien growl from her shoulder as he got up and flew behind her, making her turn and whisper out to him. “Lorien! Get back here!”

He propped himself on the ground and kept staring into the darkness, growling. Mara tried to look and see what he saw but it was too dark, that was until she blinked. She blinked again, and in the distance she saw an outline of a sculpture? It wasn’t human shaped, and surely not an animal, almost like an alien. It had its arms out towards her and she blinked again, it got closer. She let out a gasp as it was only about 10 feet away, Lorien letting out a louder growl but the creature remained unfazed. 

“SCP-173..” Mara muttered and forced her eyes to stay open. She knew what would happen if she blinked and then it hit her.

SCP’s were wandering the forest, she was probably surrounded and didn’t even notice. She felt her eyes get dry but she forced her eyes to stay open, but felt a chill down her spine when she heard an aggravated growl that was close to a sob as well. The SCP that was behind her had seen her. “L-lorien, we have to go.”

Her whimper made Lorien turn around, but as he did he suddenly shifted and grew to his full height like in her dreams. He let out a loud roar and surrounded his wings around her. Making her blink and gasp as she held onto his body. She couldn’t see anything, only hearing Lorien’s roars and sharp growls of warning. The purple tendril from his body curled around her midsection and she screamed as she was lifted into the air, seeing the SCP’s starting to gather where she stood. 

Mara forced herself to breathe and looked at Lorien as he stayed in the air, and had blood running down his cheek, his sharp purple teeth glowing along with his eyes. “Y-you ok bud?!”

He let out a loud screech and moved her closer to nuzzle her cheek. Mara looked back down but this time saw the SCP’s leaving and Slender standing in the clearing. He waved to her to come down but Lorien snarled at the motion. She gently pat Lorien’s cheek and smiled. “I-it’s ok boy, let’s go down.”

Lorien whined but flew down, gently landing and setting her down in front of Slender. Mara was glad that the SCP’s were not in sight and Slender was more normal looking now. “Slender, you should’ve told me they were here! They hurt Lorien!”

“They were not supposed to come for another couple days.” Slender defended. “But don’t worry, I’ll let them know you’re not to be harmed. As for Lorien..I see he’s in his adult form.”

Mara looked at Lorien who leaned down to look smaller and licked Mara’s arm. She couldn’t help but smile and pet him. “I’m surprised. I thought he wouldn’t get bigger unless he ate more dreams.”

“Or-” Slender began, catching her attention. “Until his master was in danger. Demons are fairly protective of their Summoners, whether they’re keeping them as a living food source, or keeping them until the debt is pain.”

“So I guess feeding him fruit means i’m his “food source?” Mara chuckled and Lorien nuzzled into her side.

“I suppose. Come on, I’ll lead you to the mansion.” Slender said and began to walk. “Also, if you plan on walking here, may I suggest before sunset?”

Mara blushed from embarrassment but couldn’t stop the laugh bubbling in her gut. She let out her chuckle and followed, Lorien walking behind her in his large form. Even when they arrived Mara was on edge from the creepy looking SCP’s, and it didn’t help that Lorien couldn’t go in due to being stuck in his large form. Even if he was 10 feet tall, his wings were a good 25 or more feet long so he wouldn’t be able to fit through the door. Slender kindly ordered the windows to be open so he could at least keep an eye on Mara from the first floor, and so Dr. Smiley could treat his cheek.

Dr.Smiley kept rambling to Mara as he was patching Lorien’s cheek. “He’s incredible! He’s approximately 10 feet with an approximate wingspan of 30 feet to boot! It’s no wonder he was able to keep you safe from the SCP’s! Please tell me I can take more measurements later!”

Lorien whined lowly at Mara and she gave a sympathetic smile, petting his head. “It’s ok bud, i’ll be staying here tonight. The moment you’re small just come to my room.”

He seemed upset but nodded and licked her hand with his serpent like tongue. Mara giggled and pecked at the top of his head before walking to Slender. “So where should I sleep tonight?”

Slender tilted his head. “You don’t want to get started with the list?”

“Slender as much as I'd like to, I'm tired and I have a morning date. I’ll start when i’m back tomorrow.” Mara explained.

“Very well, I’ll show you to your room, but you’ll also need to talk to Ben.” Slender nodded and started walking upstairs with Mara following.

He showed her to the room she first woke up in and it surprised her how much it changed. The walls were purple and the furniture was white painted wood. Her twin bed had purple sheets and across from it was a white vanity dresser. The nightstand by her had a table lamp with a white shade and the large wooden dresser was now open with different clothes hanging up.  
“I figured that if you’ll be staying with us longer you would enjoy a more...personal room.” Slender commented as Mara looked around in surprise.

“wow..Slender this is amazing!” Mara smiled and hugged him around the waist, which made him flinch.

He slowly pat her head and nodded. “You’re welcome..”

The light from outside was blocked and Mara looked up with a giggle as she saw two orchid eyes looking in. She ran over and opened the window so he could poke his head through. Mara couldn’t help but laugh as she saw he had climbed up the side of the house to reach the second floor. 

“Poor Lorien.” She cooed and giggled as he glared at her and licked her face.She heard a knock and looked over to see Ben holding his laptop and nodding to Slender before walking in. Mara wiped her cheek from the saliva before walking to him. “Hey Ben!”

“Sup?” Ben greeted and set his laptop on her nightstand with a charging cord. “I figured since you’ll be busy that I’d just give you my laptop so you can work ahead of us.”

“Sweet, I promise I’ll be careful with it.” Mara swore.

“You better.” Ben glared. “I don’t care who you are, there better not be a scratch on my baby.”

Mara smiled and sat on her bed. “Thanks. You have a password for me?”

“Just put in Eyelessjack.” Ben mumbled a bit, but his cheeks and the tips of his ears were turning red.

“I should’ve guessed.” Mara giggled then relaxed. “Ben, if you need to talk about something you can talk to me.”

“I know, I know. But I’m not sure if my old relationship should be the subject.” ben stated, putting up his wall then walking to the door. “See you tomorrow.”

“Night.” Mara waved and Slender nodded to her before closing the door.

Mara never thought she could think this, not when being surrounded by killers, but she felt at home. This felt like a place she could belong.


	18. Leveling up!

Mara woke up at 8, she was tired but thankful that today was a day off and she was going out to eat. She quickly got dressed and texted Jacob she’d be getting to the restaurant around 10. Glancing at the now shrunken sleep demon she smiled and petted him gently as he curled up in her bed, she wasn’t sure when he got into the house but hopefully they can figure out the duration later. Slowly opening her door, Mara crept out of the room as quietly as she could, knowing most people were asleep.

When she made it downstairs, she noticed a plague doctor sitting in the living room. He looked at her and stood up, his voice loud enough to hear but still somewhat muffled from the mask. “Mara Pierce correct?”

Mara blinked and realized he must’ve been one of the SCP’s. “Yes? Can I help you?”

“Actually, I was going to apologize for the other SCP’s. They must’ve scared you.” He bowed and walked over to her.

“Ah..well that’s alright, these things happen.” Mara smiled. “By chance, do you think you could lead me out of the forest?”

He nodded and walked with her outside, the sun was already shining and filling the day with warmth. “You remind me of one of my interviewers. Strong and not a fool.”

Mara tilted her head a bit. “Is that so?”

“He didn’t fall for SCP tricks, the moment you saw 173 you remained motionless and unblinking. Along with not falling for SCP-939, the one that uses the voice of its victims.” The SCP explained.

“What’s your number?” Mara asked politely.

“They call me 049. Others call me Doctor. You may call me what you’d like.” 049 explained briefly. “Although it is not my real name or a suitable one.”

“So are all the SCP’s here?” Mara asked, trying to keep the conversation going.

“Not all, some are still in the hideout. Those that can’t do anything or want nothing with humanity.” 049 said, stopping when they reached the border of the forest.

“Like who?” Mara asked, very intrigued. She hasn’t looked over the SCP: Containment Breach game in a long time.

049 chuckled and answers. “You are very curious I see. Well, to name a few, 099, 427, 053, and 079.”

“I see..thanks for walking with me.” Mara smiled and he bowed in return before heading back into the forest.

Mara got to the restaurant early so she decided to look up the SCP’s and take notes on them. She was so wrapped up with her notes that she didn’t even notice Jacob sit across from her. “Good morning.”

Mara blinked and set her phone down. “Oh! Hey Jacob! S-sorry I was um..taking gaming notes.”

“Gaming notes?” Jacob questioned with a chuckle. “For what game?”

“SCP Containment Breach.” Mara shrugged. “It’s one I recently wanted to explore.”

“Hm, I remember that one, but never played it.” Jacob hummed a bit. “The graphics were just not as good and I heard there’s no real end to the game.”

Mara smirked. “Oh there’s an end, it’s called death.”

Jacob snorted at her answer. “Not the preferred ending to a game.”

They two changed topics as the morning progressed, simple things along with hobbies, schooling, and interests. Mara found herself, actually relaxed in his company. By the time they were on their walk it was noon and Mara’s guilt began to seep in again. She did pay for breakfast as she promised, but the thought that she was using him annoyed her. She only jolted out of it when he waved a hand in front of her face.

“Are you still there?” He asked with a smile. “I’m not boring you am I?”

“No, sorry just..I’m not sure what I think about today. Don’t get me wrong it’s been lovely but..” Mara tried to explain but didn’t know how without sounding like a bitch.

“Here, let’s sit down.” Jacob offered and walked over to a bench, sitting next to Mara. “you can tell me Mara.”

“I know, it’s just how to phrase it..You see, I took out a large amount of money from my parents for a group of friends that..are more or less in a gang.” Mara explained, watching Jacobs eyes for any weariness. “And in order to make an excuse..I said I was going to use the money on a date.”

Jacob took a moment to process this before asking. “This gang is not threatening you correct?”

“Yeah, they’re actually good friends, I just gave them money so they could have..well the more needed home necessities.” Mara technically isn’t lying, she’s just not sharing the whole truth.

“I see.” Jacob smiled, his eyes calm with understanding. “Mara, I admire your generosity. You’re giving money to those that need it. How could I be upset with you?”

Mara smiled in return. “Thank you for understanding. And don’t worry, my friends wouldn’t hurt me.”

“Maybe I could meet them at some point.” Jacob suggested, making Mara pale a little.

“No! I mean..you can just not yet. First I need to make sure they’re all..presentable.” Mara covered up quickly.

“That’s alright, you just pick a date.” Jacob commented before standing up. “Before we part ways, how about we go to the stores. I have not had the chance to really look around.”

Mara thought, it was only noon, and she did need new clothes. She got up and nodded. “Sure, I'll show you some of the shops around here.”

Showing Jacob around left Mara rather pleased with herself, even though she’s lived here all her life. It was nice to see someone happy. Mara sighed to herself and thought about everything that’s happened so far. First she was attacked, then pulled into helping people she didn’t even know existed, and now she’s about to do a mass genocide. She couldn’t help but feel like she would need therapy and she would need to do a shit ton of samaritan stuff in order to get over her conscious. 

By 3pm Jacob and Mara decided to end their date, by which that Mara wasn’t sure if it was a date or hanging out. “Hopefully we can do this again, but we both have our studies to take care of.”

“That is true, but I’ll let you know when I’m available.” Jacob promised and slowly moved a hand near Mara’s head.

Her violet eyes watched, and she forced her body not to move away from the touch as he pushed her bangs back so he could see both eyes. “Your eyes are very unique. They’re completely purple.”

“Yeah..still not sure how or why.” Mara commented, glancing away from Jacob.

Jacob seemed to notice her nervous look because he moved his hand away and stuffed his hands into his jean pockets. “Well, keep in touch.”

“I will..” Mara smiled and then started walking to the woods, mentally scolding herself for such an awkward goodbye.

She hurried back to the mansion, and was forcing herself to conceal a cry of joy for finding it on her own. It wasn’t late so she tried to remain quiet as she went upstairs and opened Ben’s laptop. Lorien woke up and few around her eagerly and Mara smiled before taking a golden apple from her purse. When she and Jacob were shopping she saw the rarely grown fruit and decided to buy a couple for her and Jacob, and the third for Lorien. The demon ate happily as she started looking through the files of the laptop. 

Live, Die, Maybe, Live, Live, Die. Rapist? Death. Petty theft, if reformed they lived. The list was long but Mara wasn’t bothered by that. Instead, she was feeling disturbed. She had a looping question in her head, “who am I to judge people’s fate?” The very thought had her scared and she started thinking about anyone she could talk to at this time. But she needed a professional. She turned the laptop off and got up, walking downstairs and heading to the basement, where Dr. Smiley worked. The mere smell of blood on the door made her stomach churn, but she lightly knocked.

Feeling dumb, realizing he probably wasn’t awake yet, she opened the door slowly and began to walk down the wooden steps. “Dr. Smiley? Are you up?”

There was a groan in response and Mara flicked the nearest light switch on, but it only illuminated the counter and surgeon table. Another groan, now more annoyed, but she saw a figure sitting up from a bed in the corner of the room and smiled when Dr.Smiley flicked on the lamp beside his bed. He looked beyond tired, his eyes had bags under them and he was actually frowning, he was wearing some black sweats and a white shirt. Mara walked over and said quietly, trying to let him adjust to being woken up. “Sorry Dr. Smiley, but I wanted a professional doctor to talk to.”

Mara wasn’t stupid, even if he wasn’t a professional or licensed doctor, he was more qualified to talk to rather than the other CP’s. Dr. Smiley yawned and nodded, letting out another groan as he got up and went to his desk which had a small electric hot water pot and turned it on as he took out a box of different teas. He looked at me with his dark eyes and I nodded, knowing he was wondering if I wanted one. As the minutes passed he finally got his voice together, and now with the tea cup in his hand he sighed and leaned back in his swivel chair. 

“Sorry to wake you, but it’s convenient that you have tea in here.” Mara commented, sitting in another chair across from him.

“I normally drink one cup when I wake up and before I go to bed, otherwise it’s coffee all day.” Dr. Smiley gave a tired grin at me. “Now, what is it you need?”

“I was going through the list..I already know what I signed up for, I know what I’m helping in. So, why do I keep questioning if it’s right? I’m no god, I shouldn’t be deciding these people’s fates no matter how awful they are.” Mara explained. “I’m scared..I feel like I’m losing it.”

Dr. Smiley leaned forward and set the cup on the desk and asked. “Mara, I’m going to ask or say a couple words and you need to respond to them. And then I’m also going to ask some questions that you must answer honestly.”

Mara nodded in understanding, starting to feel hopeful in this psychotic doctor. He looked away for a moment, thinking about his questions before looking at her and asking. “In what circumstances would you steal?”

“Only if it’ll benefit people in need.” Mara answered immediately.

“What does death mean?”

Mara thought carefully but was just as quick to answer back. “An end of one life, but the beginning of another.”

“What is love to you?”

Mara blinked in surprise but hesitant responded. “Um..love is..the emotion that can influence our actions?”

Dr. Smiley noticed this hesitation and thought for a moment, taking a sip from his tea. “Rapists.”

“Monsters.” Mara replied.

“Anger.”

“A harsh emotion.” Mara admitted. “But..a necessary one.”

“What do you want to be remembered as?”

Mara bit her lip a little. “Honestly...just as a good detective and friend.”

Dr. Smiley nodded before asking. “Do you feel upset or ashamed by anything you’ve done to help us?”

She nodded and her gaze looked to the warm drink, her hands felt cold though. “yes...I don’t like lying to my friends and family. I don’t want to be a part of killing people..even if someone has done some bad things, it doesn’t mean they can’t change.”

Dr. Smiley then chuckled softly and smiled. “You’re healthy. There’s nothing wrong.”

“But..I thought it was a bad thing if you kept questioning your actions? In my psychology class, my professor said that thought disorder could lead to schizophrenia.”

Dr. Smiley laughed and replied happily, finally smiling with a wide grin. “Mara, you do not have schizophrenia. It is completely normal for you to be asking questions to yourself.”

“It...is?” Mara asked in confusion.

“Yes, in fact most psychopaths, sociopaths, and all those kind of people normally don’t question themselves. Questioning yourself just proves you’re aware of the situation and conscious of your actions. As my diagnosis, you’re just extremely guilty.” He replied and finished his tea.

Mara sighed in relief and smiled. “Thanks...but I don’t know if I can do this. Even if some of these people are bad, maybe they can change.”

“Some people are not capable of change Mara. Now, as a CP I don’t really care about people that do terrible things because I just kill whoever I want~” He chuckled, making Mara a little uneasy. “But! As a doctor, you don’t have to deal with this alone. Not all the CP’s are so far gone that they don’t have a shred of humanity. Why do you think some of us are involved with helping you pick these people out?”

Mara remembered the people that were helping her and smiled. He was right, they did have some common sense or could see from another person’s standpoint. “Thank you Smiley. I’m sorry about waking you.”

“Oh that’s alright~” He grinned and took the cup from her hands. “By the way, if you’re worried about your health let me know. You’re an orphan right? You don’t know who your parents are?”

Mara once again felt nervous but nodded. “Yeah..how did you-”

“Slender told me.” He cut her off and continued. “I could always look into that for you~ maybe I can find them.”

“No..i’m good thank you.” Mara assured him. “But, Smiley, do you actually have records on all CP’s?”

The psycho doctor nodded and walked over to three filing cabinets in a side room, opening one of the drawers for Mara to see. “I have been tasked with recording every CP’s story, strengths, weaknesses, and of course families.”

Mara couldn’t help but feel impressed, she thanked him again before leaving the basement and decided to just relax on her phone until the evening arrived. The evening crept up faster than Mara realized and when it was around 9pm there was frantic knocking at her door. She got up, and Lorien propped himself onto her head in confusion as well before she opened the door and saw Sally, who looked to be panting from running.

“Sally are you alright?” She asked the breathless girl.

“Y-yeah, but Zalgo-and others-outside.” She panted and Mara took her hand to comfort her.

They walked down the stairs together and Mara only let go when she looked outside to see the Slender CP’s and Zalgo CP’s at each others throats. Both literally and figuratively. Mara quickly ran out to the yelling crowd and pushed her way to the middle, where Isaac and Jeff were wrestling each other and throwing punches.

“You’re not welcome here!” Jeff growled as he shoved Isaac back.

“Mara invited us! We’re a part of this too!” Isaac shouted back, causing many CP’s to yell from both sides.

Mara quickly got in the center and both sides started to quiet down as she glared to the Slender CP’s. “Enough! I invited the Zalgo CP’s to join us!”

“Are you fucking serious?” Clockwork called out first. “You want us to work with these demon fucks?”

“At least we aren’t soft pussy CP’s!” one of the Zalgo CP’s called out, if Mara remembered correctly, his name was Skintaker.

“Oh really? Come rip my heart out you demon fuck!” Nick called out, taking out a needle of what Mara assumed to be poison.

Outbursts started again but everyone stopped when Zalgo and Slender walked over together and told both their groups to shut it, of course Slender went with a mental yell while Zalgo just hissed at his people.

“Enough everyone, they are training with us.” Slender said, looking to both sides. “I don’t care what differences you have, we will be working together for this one time.”

“I don’t think it is advisable.” SCP-035, of course with the victim of a human wearing the mask. “I may love this drama, but we all have our differences, even us SCP’s don’t want to be involved.”

“Aww~ did all that time in a cell make you a pathetic relic piece?” Ezekiel teased, he was a black skinned demon with a white face and green dragon-fly like wings. He would pose as a guardian angel to lure people to their deaths.

The SCP’s were now enraged, but SCP-049 calmed them down to look at Mara. “Mara, how do you plan on us working together?”

Mara gulped as eyes began to stare at her but she steeled her nerves. “We need to hunt and practice together, if we fight ourselves then this mission will be a big fucked up mess. Plus, I don’t want anyone hurt or captured, I know you all think it’s unlikely but if we don’t work together it could happen.”

A few CP’s and SCP’s murmured in disagreement or distaste, but Zalgo took the torch from there. “I personally don’t give a fuck what reasons we’ve had for years of hating each other, but I refuse to be forgotten by the humans.”

“Zalgo is right, if the humans forget us we will die off one by one.” Slender confirmed. “We’re going to discuss how training will go while Mara and others help make the list of people to hunt.”

A few groans and growls rang out at the mention of a list of people, Mara quickly called out, raising her voice. “Fucking get over it! Don’t tell me you guys are afraid or too ‘busy’ to kill people I assign!”

“It doesn’t work that way!” The crooked man called out, stepping out of Zalgo’s crowd to look at Mara. “we all have specific ways to kill or specific people to hunt! You can’t expect us to just follow a list!”

Despite the disgust of looking at this guy, Mara glared at him and shouted. “I will make it work! Think about it you jackasses! If we don’t do this right either you’ll be hunted down or you’ll be forgotten! If I let you hunt a bunch of kids then who will be the next generation? If I let you hunt unstable people, then they’ll be killers taking your fun!”

The crooked man grimaced but stepped back from her and the CP’s surrounding her watched in surprise as she continued. “I know I’m a damn human, call me what you want, naive, stupid, a pussy, or just useless. But I’m trying to help you all! People are forgetting you everyday! Do you want to vanish!?”

They all went silent and Mara caught her breath, Lorien nuzzled into her hair in an attempt to comfort her. She felt tears of frustration build in her eyes and her fists clenched at her sides. As she felt a hand on her back Mara jolted back to reality and looked at Heartful Lou, who was wearing his mask but he was clearly smiling at her. “I’m with her, I don’t want to be forgotten yet. There are still more heartbreakers to punish.”

“And Strider still needs to eat..” One of Zalgo’s people said, looking at the large quadrupedal creature, who let out a small whine.

Slowly everyone began to give in, and the SCP’s talked for a moment before SCP-049 stepped forward and bowed to Mara. “we will join and help in anyway possible.”

Although some of the agreements were slow or just growls Zalgo and Slender began to talk about living arrangements for the next few days while everyone retreated inside or into the woods to hunt. Mara though watched everyone and Heartful Lou stayed by her until the others had left. Mara gave him a smile and even Lorien nuzzled him, repeating thank you over and over.

“Thank you Lou.” Mara said, taking Lou’s hand from her shoulder and giving a gentle squeeze.

“Anytime. We may not like some of the CP’s but I’m sure we can all live together for at least 2 weeks if needed.” Lou replied and held her hand in return, gently intertwining their fingers.

With his gloves on it was a little uncomfortable for Mara but she didn’t pull her hand away. Instead she held on as he began to lead her through the woods, Lorien flying around them and enjoying the evening. The sun was setting and the warm day was starting to vanish, but Mara wasn’t worried. Lou began to tell Mara about the CP’s pasts, he admitted he didn’t know everyone’s pasts, but he knew everyone’s strengths. 

“Skully and I are similar in the fact that we observe most of the time. I just happen to remember some of the CP’s strengths and weaknesses.”

“Lou, does everyone here forget their pasts?” Mara questioned.

“No, actually most go through what we call PRC, or Prior Reflection Cycle. It essentially is the acceptance or denial of who we were in the past. If we agree it’s our fault for who we became or if we chose to blame it on something else.”

“Wow...that sounds...hard actually. For most of you it wasn’t your fault.” Mara spoke. “Did you accept it?”

“No..” Lou muttered. “It’s not my fault that my ex was a cheating bitch..” 

Mara said nothing at first but then stopped them from walking farther. “Well she missed out on a great guy. Human or CP.”

Lou glanced at her and moved the mask up to let it rest on top of his head, he was smiling at her and his eyes were relaxed with the kindest expression. “Mara..have you ever considered being a CP?”

Mara’s eyes widened a little, shocked by the very question. But she frowned and sighed, her gaze turning to the ground. “Sorry Lou but..I don’t think I could..I don’t kill for fun, according to Dr. Smiley I’m sane enough, and well..I couldn’t leave my life behind.”

When she looked up, Lou had a sad expression but nodded in understanding, raising a hand to her cheek and she leaned to the leathery texture of the glove. Mara sighed and closed her eyes, just enjoying the moment for what it was, but a thought came to her head seconds later.

“Lou?”

“Hm?” He responded quietly but continued to watch her.

“Are you falling for me?”

He was silent and Mara opened her eyes to see him looking into the distance, clearly his mind in another world for the time being. She waited patiently and then he gently pulled her in for a hug, wrapping one arm around her waist and his other hand held the back of her head. Mara wrapped her arms around him and continued to wait.

“I think I am...and it scares me.” He muttered, resting his head on hers.

“Same here..” Mara agreed. “I don’t want to lead you on Lou..but I can’t make a decision until this mess is over.”

Lou felt sadness and frustration tug at his heart but rubbed her back and mumbled. “I know..just give me a proper answer when that time comes.”

“I will..” Mara promised and looked up at him, gently kissing his cheek.

The action caught him off guard but he only kissed her head and then they let go, walking to the mansion together. It was quiet but not uncomfortable, by now it was around 10 and Mara was more than ready to get to work on the list again. Lou bid her a good night and left to go train with the others while Mara sat down in the living room with Eyeless Jack, Mrs. P, Dr. Smiley, Judge Angel, and Hobo Heart. They all had the list either emailed on a computer or on their phones, and Mara was briefed by Slender that most of the electronics were junk or found from victims houses so they might glitch out. It wasn’t a huge problem, Mara still had the main list on Ben’s laptop and that’s what she was going to use for their discussion.

“All set Mara?” Mrs. P grinned at her, petting Grinny who was sitting on her lap.

Mara nodded and looked at the first page, sighing. “Alright, let’s start with Frank Morgan.”


	19. Turtling In Defense

“He should be killed!”

“He’s only a drug addict!”

Mara was close to pulling her hair out, passing out, and yelling all at the same time. It was currently 3am, June 23rd, a sunday. The whole mansion was lively with people training, eating, taking breaks during training. For now it mostly consisted of them running and vaulting in the woods or just hand to hand combat. But Mara was stuck with 5 people, Hobo heart, bless his soul for being the voice of calmness. Then there was Judge angel, a sweet woman that was literally a good judge of character. However, then she had EJ who kept arguing with Mrs. P about justification, the group would let them burn out on the subject before they continued. And Dr. Smiley was mainly just there to give the likely hood of the person recovering if they went to get help.

Slender kindly walked over and set a small red pill in front of Mara, who was nearly falling asleep in her chair. She lazily picked up the pill and looked up at him for an answer. “This pill will help you feel energized for today.”

Mara nodded and popped it into her mouth, she didn’t care at this point. They were pretty lucky, they had 16 pages done, out of fucking 240. Judge angel saw the distress from Mara and cleared her throat to catch the others attention. “Let’s all take a break, we’ve still got plenty of papers to go through. We’ll meet back in 15 minutes.”

Everyone agreed and Mara thanked the CP when the others dispersed. “Thanks Judge, I think I was ready to strangle EJ and Mrs. P.”

“I know, Mrs. P just loves causing problems, but she’s also had a history of unfairness so she feels like she needs to speak out.” She smiled at Mara.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m so glad to have help and others opinions...but them fighting over and over is getting annoying.” Mara commented.

“Agreed, since it’s around lunch time, do you want anything to eat?” Judge asked as she stood. 

“Hmm..sure, I’ll eat anything as long as it’s not a human or it’s cooked.” Mara said, standing up and stretching.

“I kind of figured that.” Judge chuckled and walked towards the kitchen.

Mara decided to go and see how the training was going for the other CP’s, Lorien following her and letting out little chitters and chirps. It was always fascinating to Mara that she had a demon like him, one that wasn’t violent, but also made such strange noises. Walking to the back yard she held in a chuckle, Slender had practically turned this training into a military training. Some were practicing their hand to hand combat, some doing pushups, and others running laps around the mansion. Zalgo was also working with the more demonic creatures that didn’t have human features, but were master tricksters or had magic abilities.

She felt a tug at her shirt and looked over to see Nurse Ann, who gave her a polite nod and handed her a piece of paper. Curious, Mara looked at the paper which was written on with red ink. 

“I just wanted to let you know I admire your courage, I’m surprised you’re still sane after everything so far.”

Mara gave her a small smile and nodded. “It’s going to take a lot more than this to throw me off my game.”

Ann nodded and left to train with the others and Mara felt extremely pleased. She may not have everyone talking to her, but it was enough knowing some were willing to try. Mara walked back inside and Judge had already made a PB&J sandwich for me, also setting out an orange for Lorien. Oranges weren’t his favorite because of the peel, so I peeled it for him and broke it as Judge watched with a smile.

“You and that demon seem to get along quite well.”

“He’s a big sweetheart.” Mara giggled and Lorien glared at her, nibbling at her finger for another orange slice. “he’s no different from a good friend though.”

“Wow, you really aren’t scared of us are you?” She questioned, leaning on the counter.

“well..I won’t deny some of the CP’s are...hard to look at..”

“Like who?” Judge tilted her head. “You can tell me, we all make fun of each other.”

“Um..i suppose the crooked man for one..skintaker..razor mouth, B.o.b..” Mara mention a couple.

“Hmm, I see. You get used to gross shit after a while. I know that probably doesn’t sound like much from me but it’s true.”

Just as she said this, there was some loud cackling and both Rake and Smile dog were dragging in two dead bodies with their mouths holding the arm or leg of the victims. Candy pop followed in with them and laughing. “Alright give me a moment to dissect them boys!”

Mara nearly threw up and covered her mouth, tasting bile in her mouth as she swallowed. Judge just laughed and grabbed Mara a soda from the fridge. “See what I mean?”

Soon they all got back in their group and continued looking through the files and then Dr.Smiley stopped us and asked Mara.

“Mara, do you have anything peculiar on your health record?”

All of us looked to him in confusion, but Mara was mostly concerned. “No, why?”

“Well after our talk, I decided to do a little digging with Red’s help.” He said calmly. “Did you know you were admitted to a psychiatric ward in 2010?”

Mara felt her gut twist and she got up. “What are you talking about? I don’t remember being in one.”

“I don’t think you were supposed to.” He said, and handed her a file. “Let us continue the list Mara, you should read this.”

Mara’s heart hammered in her chest as she took the file and walked to the nearest bathroom and locked the door. Lorien curled up in her hair as she opened the file and saw the first page with an image of her. She was clearly adopted at the time because it had her father’s and mother’s name and number in it, and the image would have been taken when she was living with them. Mara skimmed through the pages, there was only three because she was released only 15 days later after being admitted in winter.

Finally she found her answer and read out loud to herself. “The patient was brought in under concerns about speaking with serial killers that are proven to be nothing but fables. Mara has shown denial and attempted to convince several doctors that these “Creepypasta’s” were real. Her parents admitted that they thought she was talking about imaginary characters before one Halloween, when she said she spoke to someone named Ben Drowned.”

“The patient has gone through all psychological tests and shows perfect score of sanity, and nothing on her body shows abuse or rape from the years of living on the streets. Figuring that she was just in denial we decided that hypnotic treatment would be the best solution.”

“The treatment was a success, Mara Pierce was released with no recollection of a “Creepypasta” and her parents never reported anything about them again.”

File: Mara Pierce

Condition: Treated 

So many emotions hit Mara, anger, sadness, distress, hurt, betrayal, and of course confusion. Why did they never tell me? Did they think I was insane? Do they suspect something now? Mara began to cry, sitting on the floor and pulling her legs to her chest and hid her face into her knees as her arms hugged her legs. She wasn’t sure how long she had been sitting there but there was a knock on the door, Lorien flew out from her hair and pushed the handle down with all his strength. Mara didn’t notice the door open, she barely noticed Lorien even left her side, that was until a hand touched her shoulder.

Mara jolted under the touch and looked at the person quickly, half scared and half shocked. It was Nina the killer, and she asked. “What’s got you down princess?”

Mara said nothing but quickly threw her arms around Nina’s neck and cried into her shoulder. The killer was shocked and confused but rubbed her back and tried to calm her down. The noise of Mara’s crying and Nina’s panicked voice managed to catch some of the CP’s attention. Upon seeing them, Radioface told the others to stay away but allowed some of the female CP’s in to try and calm Mara. Lulu was one of the girls who came in first, attempting to make Mara look up from Nina’s shoulder, while Kate the killer looked over the file to understand my distress.

After about 15 minutes, Mara finally calmed down enough to let Nina go and wiped the tears from her swollen eyes. Mara couldn’t remember the last time she cried so much and was beginning to feel tired. “S-sorry about that guys..”

“It’s alright Mara, you have good reason to be upset.” Kate said, rubbing Mara’s back.

“Sounds like your parents are assholes.” Nina commented with a smile.

“No...they’re just..protective.” Mara replied and held Lorien as the demon was hugging and licking her fingers, seeing if she was ok.

“Come on girl, I think you need a night to have a little fun~” One of the girls, Anna said as she helped Mara up.

Radioface looked into the bathroom. “Is everything ok now?”

“Yeah, we’re going to take care of Mara.” Lulu commented with a soft smile and followed Mara and Anna upstairs. 

As the group of girls walked upstairs, Mrs. P looked to Dr.Smiley with a grin. “Did you know she would react like this?”

“I had a theory.” Dr.Smiley shrugged. “I figured she wouldn’t be able to handle it, but at the same time, I felt like she needed to know.”

EJ sighed as he looked at Ben’s laptop. “Well, I guess we continue without her.”

Upstairs, the girls got comfortable in Kate’s room. Lulu had grabbed a large fluffy blanket and wrapped Mara in it as she had her sit on the floor. Mara said nothing as the dark haired girl began to brush and play with her hair. Kate mentioned talking to the other CP’s before leaving and Anna had snuck some snacks upstairs for them to eat. Nina had joined and laid on the bed, giggling playfully as she began to gossip about the SCP’s.

“Alright, I notified Slender and he said you could have the rest of the time off Mara. Do you have work tomorrow?” Kate asked, sitting on her bed and looking at Mara with her yellow eyes.

“No, we have a couple new hires so my schedule is going through some changes..”Mara replied.

“Sweet! Girl sleepover! We haven’t had one in ages!” Nina cheered as she bounced on the bed.

“Sounds like fun! There’s not many girls in the under realm.” Lulu mentioned with excitement.

“Yeah we’ll get you all smiley in no time!” Anna mentioned to Mara, it was a little odd to see a blue eyeball in Anna’s mouth but Mara nodded.

“Jesse and some of the others will join later, I say we put on some movies and chat for the night.” Kate said with a smile.

And that is just what they did, Mara was almost overwhelmed by the amount of girls coming into the room to join the little sleepover. The room wasn’t large but some of the girls were sitting on the bed, or floor, and then Laughing Jill brought in an older TV that she just had to plug in. Four-eyed Jesse brought a ton of snacks and Nightmare alley got a few boxes of pizza for the party.

Suddenly, all the pain that Mara was feeling before was gone. The girls were laughing, gossiping, and sharing stories with her. They even cut back on the gruesome details of their kills for Mara’s sake. As they were getting settled for a movie, Sadie looked at her with a smile.

“Anything you want to watch?”

“Something funny..stupid funny, like a Mel Brook’s film or Airplane.” Some of them seemed confused and Mara questioned with slight surprise. “Wait you haven’t seen those?”

“In case you haven’t noticed. We’re killers, and we normally watch horror or action.” Jane pointed out.

“Oh my god, we’re watching Mel Brook’s and Airplane, I’m sorry you can’t live without seeing these at least once.” Mara said with a smile.

Everything was set when Nightmare Alley looked at her and asked. “Are you doing ok Mara? I wasn’t there when I heard you broke down.”

Several of the girls, who wondered the same thing, looked to Mara. Mara sighed and answered. “I found out that...when I knew the Creepypasta’s as a kid, I mentioned you guys to my parents...they thought I was insane and sent me to a psych-ward...that’s why I couldn’t remember you guys..”

Mara pulled her legs close again and Lorien, who was laying on her head, slipped down to lick her cheek. Nina quickly called to Mara. “hey you know what? If they couldn’t accept that it’s their fault.”

“Yeah, and it doesn’t matter anymore, you’re with us!” Lulu added on and several of the girls agreed.

Laughing Jill cackled. “And now you know us better then when you were a kid so it doesn’t change a thing~!”

“Look at it this way as well, if you didn’t forget us, you might have been sent to an institution.” Clockwork said, and although that sounded harsh, Mara knew that it was her way of cheering her up.

Mara smiled. “Thanks guys, come on let’s start this flick.”

The rest of the night went smoothly, the girls giggled and laughed, truly enjoying the movies I picked out and when it was sunrise, most of the girls had fallen asleep. Mara was the last awake and turned off the TV, but she wasn’t tired due to the pill Slender had given her before, so she decided to take this moment and clean up a bit. Collecting the boxes and trash she took them downstairs where, surprisingly some of the CP’s and SCP’s were just sleeping on the chairs and couches.

She remained as quiet as possible while throwing everything away and nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw someone move into the kitchen. “oh-Radioface, you scared the shit out of me.” Mara chuckled.

“Sorry, how are you feeling?” he asked, staying quiet for the sleeping CP’s.

“Good..thanks for helping me out yesterday.” Mara said. “Were you the one that got the other girls in on it?”

“Sort of. One of the girls Lulu I think asked me what happened before she went in to see you, then she told Nightmare Alley to find people that were close to you.” Radioface explained. “After a bit, that’s when Anna got a group of the girls together and mentioned something about a party. Then the girls ran off and Anna went to see you.”

Mara felt her smile widen and the happiness swelled in her chest. “You guys are...so amazing..you’re like brothers and sisters I’ve always wanted..”

Radioface seemed surprised by this but smiled in return. “What are you doing up?”

“Oh Slender gave me some sort of pill, I’m too energized to sleep right now..but it’s probably for the best. I need to see my parents.” Mara said, the smile fading. “Do you know what happened to the file I left in the bathroom?”

“Yeah, give me a second.” he replied before walking off.

Lorien woke up, surprising and making Mara giggle as he hung limply from her hair, the purple tendrils the only things keeping him from falling off. “Good morning buddy.”

“Morning?” He chirped out and looked around before flying off for a second then landing on her head to cuddle into her hair.

Radioface came back and handed Mara the file before offering to walk her out of the forest. She accepted, and as they walked, he pulled the hood over his face and stopped. “This is as far as I can take you, can you find your way back?”

“Yes, thank you again.” Mara said, clenching the file to her chest as she walked to her parents' home.

Upon arriving, the servants were giving her concerned looks, but lead her inside where her mom and dad were eating breakfast. Helen looked at her daughter and smiled, running over and hugging her. “Mara! You haven’t told me how your date went!”

“It was good mom.” Mara answered civilly before commenting. “Look can we talk? I need to ask you both something.”

“Come and sit down kiddo.” Roger smiled and looked to Mara.

Mara sat across from them and both of them were eagerly asking what the date was like. Mara answered them, saying Jacob was a nice guy, the date went well, and all the small stuff. Finally her dad seemed to notice the file and asked. “What’s that Mara?”

Helen’s eyes looked to the file and she panicked a little. “Oh god please don’t tell me you got pregnant.”

Mara’s face turned red. “What?! No mom! T-this isn’t that kind of medical folder!”

Helen let out a sigh of relief and Roger chuckled. “Honey, Mara isn’t the kind of girl to do that on the first date.”

Mara smiled but it faded and she set it out in front of them, opening it. They examined it then their eyes changed from shock, to worry, then finally looking at her with shame. Her father was the first to speak while her mom told the servants to leave the room. “Where did you get this?” 

“I found out..why did you guys do this?” Mara asked, the hurt in her voice made her father look away.

“Honey..when we adopted you we just thought years living on the streets that these characters, Jeff, EJ, Slender..were just part of hallucinations or your imagination.” Helen spoke softly. “We thought nothing of it until you said you spoke to someone named..um Ben? But..”

“Your mother and I got curious.” Roger continued for her. “We asked you who they were and what they did. When you told us they were killers we got worried for your safety.”

“We’re just lucky you didn’t have to stay there long..” Helen said and reached across the table for one of Mara’s hands.

Mara however, pulled her hand away and glared. “The doctors mentioned I was perfectly healthy, why would you think I was insane? Why not have me talk to a counselor, or better yet, why didn’t you believe me?”

“Mara.” Her dad’s voice said, sternly and in a warning tone. “These people are nothing but fables, they don’t exist.”

Mara was torn, not only in hurt, but also that she wanted to tell the truth but knew she couldn’t. “But a psych-ward?!”

“Mara please, if you started talking to people about serial killers then others would have avoided you or may have not accepted you in schools.” Helen said desperately. “We were just trying to protect you.”

“But then why can’t I remember anything from before? When I was an orphan?” Mara asked, practically demanding an answer.

Roger sighed. “Because, the doctors explained that these characters must’ve been a part of your past somewhere but were not sure where exactly. So they hypnotized you, making you forget anything in your previous years.”

Mara leaned back in her seat, frustration and the urge to yell coiled in her throat like a spring ready to snap. Helen hurried to her side in tears and began apologizing over and over, Roger walked over as well and began to pet Mara’s head. She said nothing but held her mom and refused to look at the file on the table. Roger had eventually pulled a chair close and sat back down, asking Mara. “what brought all this on?”

Mara knew her father too well, he was looking for a reason or a cause. “nothing..I just kept having these dreams.. Dreams of people I never met but they were urging me to remember them.”

She wasn’t exactly lying but Roger sighed and rubbed her back. “Little moonbeam, we just worry...do you need anything from us?”

“no..I think..” Mara stopped, thinking of what could make them happy and calm down. “I’m considering to see the church.”

Helen was christian and Roger didn’t have a specific religion, but Helen looked at her daughter with a small smile. “I’m glad..I’m glad you’re not trying to do this alone..”

Mara nodded and closed the file on the table. “I’m sorry if this upset you..”

“It did, but we figured we would have to tell you at some point.” Roger said. “I just wish it wasn’t like this.”

“We love you baby girl.” Helen said and kissed the top of her head, to which she also looked down and commented. “That’s an odd necklace.”

Mara froze and realized that Lorien was clinging around her neck. “A-ah, it’s the one I wore to the party remember?”

“I remember.” Roger commented with a smile. “I didn’t realize how much detail it had though.”

“Yes, what is it exactly?” Helen asked, moving her hand to touch Lorien which made Mara grab her hand.

“I-it’s off of my show. One of the anime’s I watch.” Mara replied quickly. “But it’s very hard and rare to find so I don’t wear it much.”

Her parents relaxed and understood. From the shock of the morning, Mara stayed there with her parents until they both announced they had to leave for work. They lead Mara to the door and both kissed her head before saying their goodbyes.Before leaving, Mara handed the file to her dad. “Here, I don’t think I’ll need this.”

“I’ll shred it..” Roger promised. “I think this is one memory none of us wish to revisit.”

Mara nodded in agreement before leaving, letting out a sigh of relief. “That was close..” She commented and Lorein flew on top of her head quickly. “But I got my answer..”

As she walked to the forest she relished in the warm sun and sighed happily. She felt lighter, like ropes that she was tugging a rock behind her had finally snapped away. Making it back to the mansion, she noticed several CP’s were still asleep, but she went to the living area where Ben’s laptop was and took it to her room. Laying on her bed, Lorien curled up into the blankets while Mara charged the laptop and continued looking through the files. Soon she was lost to the world as her focus increased on the list.

By the time it had reached night again, several of the girls went looking for her which it wasn’t hard to find her because Mara came out of her room and was hugged by Lulu. Several were asking what happened and Mara only smiled.

“I got my answers. And I’ve got the list done.”

“Damn, how long have you been up?” Jane asked, crossing her arms.

“I never went to bed, but I’m sure I’ll sleep well tonight.” Mara said, already feeling tired.

“You’ve been up all day!?” Zero laughed. “Damn you’re one hell of a trooper!”

It was true, when she was with the girls EJ and the others managed to get to 113 pages. And then Mara got back here around 10am and it was now 7pm. That whole time she had only been focusing on the list and taking breaks every couple hours to have the motivation to continue. Now, it was done, and the only thing left was to figure out who was killing where. The girls congratulated her and all of them walked downstairs to continue their training. Mara was left downstairs and started to pet Lorien.

“Come on buddy, how about we join them? Even if we’re not killing, a little exercise won’t hurt.”

Lorien seemed hesitant but then flew outside and landed on Slender’s shoulder, squeaking hastily. As Mara walked out, the tall man looked to her. “You want to train?”

“Hand to hand combat is a good thing to keep up.” Mara shrugged.

Slender didn’t disagree with her and paired her with Masky. In a way, Mara was thrilled because she’s been wanting to kick his ass, but she knew he was stronger than her. Masky practically snarled at her when he got ready to fight her.

“Shouldn’t you be taking care of the list?”

“Shouldn’t you be trying to kick my ass?” Mara scoffed back, making him swing at her and she reflexively crossed her arms in front of her face to block.

The two kept swinging, dodging, and downright wrestling each other. And while Masky was stronger, Mara had a faster reaction time and managed to dodge or trip him a few times. Masky noticed a slight change in her, as she dodged less and actually kept aiming to hit his throat or stomach, it was like she was fighting on instinct. As their fighting continued, Mara started getting dizzy on her feet and masky’s fist finally connected to her cheek and she fell to the ground. Instantly as she fell, Toby ran over to check on her, then he laughed as Mara lifted her head in a dizzy spell.

“Wow Mara! I haven’t seen anyone but Hoodie take a punch like that!” Toby laughed as he twitched, helping her sit up.

“Toby, what were you doing?” Masky asked and crossed his arms.

“Uh...nothing?” Toby shrugged. “Just watching! I swear!”

“Shouldn’t you be training?” Masky grumbled and knelt down, holding up three fingers. “Mara, how many fingers do you see?”

Mara looked completely out of it but blinked a few times to see. “F-five?”

“Close enough, ok come on, let’s get you to bed.” Masky said as he stood up and helped Mara to her feet.

“No, I’m..I’m not tired yet. I-i feel actually really good.” Mara said, and smiled at the two boys.

They looked at each other with slight worry, then Toby touched her now bruised cheek. “Mara, can you feel this?”

“Feel your hand?” She asked confused but then staggered back a bit. “Look I’m fine, let’s continue.

“Sorry Mara.” Masky commented. Before she could say anything, he hit her hard in the back of the head to knock her out before carrying her upstairs to her room. This was a concerning change in her.


	20. Splash Damage

When Mara woke up, she nearly fell off her bed in shock to see Slender sitting on her bed and his head turned to her. “Slender why are you here?”

She started to sit up but then groaned and laid back down. “Fuck, my head hurts.”

“That’s not surprising, Masky had to knock you out and told me you were getting an adrenaline high. He said you were having blurred vision and when you stood up you were uneven. I partly take responsibility for giving you that pill, but I wasn’t expecting you to get serious in fighting.” Slender explained, handing her a couple aspirins and a water bottle.

Mara took them and sighed. “What day is it?”

“It’s Tuesday. June 25th. And currently it’s 8 in the morning.” Slender answered and helped her sit up. “Mara, how are you feeling?”

“Like I was beat up. And I kind of feel sick..” She answered honestly, looking at him.

“I suspect it’s because you stayed up two days straight with that pill for assistance. You crashed pretty hard during your fight but I’m guessing you felt the need to fight.” Slender said. “You might want to check how long you’re working today.”

Mara nodded slowly, worried about moving her head too fast. “I guess after everything, I just felt like I needed to have a little fun, let loose you know?”

“I guess I can understand that..did you finish the list Mara?”

“Uh yeah, you can take Ben’s computer. Everything is set but you just need to decide who’s going where.” 

Slender nodded and stood, taking the laptop and the charging cord before leaving the room. Mara felt gross and decided to go shower, afterwards she would eat. While in the bathroom, she took her phone off the counter, carefully standing away from the water as she looked at her schedule. “12 to 8? That’s not bad..”

She started looking through texts, getting worried texts from Sam, Alyssa, and Jacob. She hadn’t looked at her phone for a whole day, what made them freak out. She started scrolling through the messages.

Sam: Hey Mara are you ok?

Sam: your dad called asking if anything was going on at work.

Alyssa: Hey hon, I know you’re being anti-social ;3 But your dad called to see if you and I have been hanging out recently, is he riding on your ass again?

Jacob: Hello Mara, your father called about our date. I thought he was upset at me but he was just asking strange questions.

That fucking liar..Mara gripped her phone and set her phone aside to finish her shower. When she got out she texted all three of them in a group chat and told them to meet at the Edan Club at 10:40. That would allow them time to talk. Soon she was running downstairs and Lorien was flying frantically after her, screeching at her to slow down. Mara didn’t bother grabbing food as she ran to her work, taking a quick stop to let Lorien latch onto her neck. When she made it, her friends look to her.

“Mara are you alright?” Jacob asked and helped her to a table as she was gasping for air.

“F-fine-you?” Mara responded and coughed.

Sam quickly grabbed a cup of water and both him and Alyssa sat down with her. “Mara, what’s going on? You’re starting to worry us.”

“E-everything is fine..I just need to know what my dad was asking.” Mara replied.

“Mainly stuff about if you’ve been talking to anyone weird or if you’ve been seeing suspicious people.” Sam replied. “I..I only told him about the guy you’ve met, oh what was his name..”

“Lou..shit..please tell me you didn’t tell my dad what he looked like.” Mara pleaded.

“Who’s Lou?” Jacob asked, rubbing Mara’s back.

“Lou was..um..a very temporary boyfriend.” Mara lied, but Alyssa perked up.

“You go girl! About time you went out with someone.” Alyssa said then calmed down. “Did you two break up?”

“We..we did some stupid shit ok? He’s..an ex gang member and after a couple dates we called it off.” Mara continued to lie, but this time she was sticking to a story so it sounded truthful enough.

“Ex gang member?!” Sam exclaimed. “Mara you didn’t say that!”

“Well I didn’t know it until we finished having sex!” Mara shouted back. She knew that would throw him off. She already lied to him before about having sex with him so she had to keep with her story. “Look I hate myself for it, and I’m scared! But now my dad is snooping into it!”

They looked at her in shock but Alyssa spoke first. “We all make mistakes..but right now you need to tell us, did he bring you into a gang? Or is there someone trying to hurt you?”

“No..no he would never hurt me...He never told me about his gang and he respected who I was..”

“Then...what are you scared of?” Jacob asked, but seemed a little off.

“I’m scared of being seen as irresponsible..i’m scared of my parents hating me..and..” She really had to sell this off. “And I’m scared that I’ll be afraid to be in another relationship.”

“Oh Mara..” Alyssa walked over and hugged her. “We won’t think any less of you. And if you’re really that worried, consider my lips sealed. I won’t tell your dad about your ex.”

“Same here. It’s not fair to expect you to be a perfect girl.” Sam agreed with a smile. “But if there’s a problem, please tell us.”

Mara nodded with a small smile and looked at Jacob, waiting for what he would say. Jacob reached over and took Mara’s hand that was on the table and smiled. “There’s no need to worry. I won’t tell your father anything.”

“Thank you guys.” Mara said and after a couple minutes, Sam got up to get the new person in to have them start work. 

Alyssa said her goodbyes and playfully commented. “You know~ having a little “fun” with someone just makes you more wild. Trust me, before I met Sam, I had a couple flings. It’s healthy, it’s only bad if you’re in a relationship and then cheat.”

Mara nodded and Alyssa left, leaving Mara to now speak with Jacob. She took a deep breath. “Jacob, I’m sorry about this..it’s not right that you got dragged into my problems.”

“It’s alright Mara..i’m a little shocked to be honest, but your friend Sam was right. No one is perfect.” Jacob smiled. “Now I understand why you were so nervous on our date.”

“What do you mean?” Mara asked raising a brow. Sure she was nervous, but she didn’t think it showed.

“I mean that, you seemed so nervous anytime I held your hand, hugged you.” A faint blush crossed his cheeks as he spoke out. “And I really wanted to kiss you.”

Mara’s eyes widened a bit but then she nodded. “Y-yeah..that’s why I was nervous.”

“I understand.” Jacob replied. “Next time, let the four of us actually go out somewhere. Just as friends.”

Mara smiled and nodded. “Sounds good...thank you Jacob.”

They said their goodbyes and Mara went to the back to change. Even more weight lifted off of her and she realized how much stress she was under. With the CP’s help and her friends, she didn’t feel like a monster or anything for lying. Now, she saw her old self as pathetic for fearing what her parents thought. She was an adult damn it, she could have fun, make her choices. She never felt this free before! Hell, maybe lying was only bad on some occasions. 

Mara was ecstatic through the work shift, and Sam kept her afloat with jokes and talking to her about the whole situation. As her shift was close to it’s end she thought about going home but then reasoned that it might be a better idea to go to the mansion. After all, even though the list was done, she needed to help sort the CP’s for who was going to attack who. Once her shift ended she was surprised to see Hoodie outside waiting for her.

“Hoodie? Is something up?” She asked and walked with him as he started walking to the forest.

“No, I just wanted to make sure you got to the mansion safely. And I suppose I got a little worried because I heard about what happened yesterday.” Hoodie shrugged, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

“Your lover is really rough on people isn’t he?” Mara smirked as Hoodie sputtered a bit.

“How did you know?!” Hoodie hissed at her.

“I found out, don’t worry too much. I think it’s a cute..or brutal relationship.” Mara didn’t know what they were like together so she didn’t know how to describe it.

Hoodie sighed and relaxed, but grumbled in reply. “Yeah it was..but after we were split apart he went back to being his normal self. Which don’t get me wrong, I love that part of him, but I wish he would tone the fighting down.”

“You guys fight more now that you’re apart?” Mara asked, tilting her head.

“Yeah, and I know why, he’s afraid of getting in trouble so he’s making it harder on us by fighting with me. The more we argue the less we talk to each other.” Hoodie shrugged. “I’m used to it now.”

“Well..that’ll change.” Mara said confidently. “I’ll make sure of it. But I have to ask, why do you like him?”

“He knows me best, and when you’re set on hundreds of missions together you get closer.” Hoodie replied instantly. 

“Aww.” Mara couldn’t help but smile at that. “How did you guys confess?”

“When Masky was stabbed in the gut with a chainsaw and nearly died.” Hoodie replied bluntly, looking at Mara.

“Oh..um...that’s sweet.” Mara replied with a weary smile. “Is there anyone that’s had a normal confession?”

“You’re talking about a bunch of killers Mara, who here has a normal confession?” Hoodie pointed out and walked up the porch steps of the mansion when they arrived.

“Fair point..” Mara muttered and walked inside, instantly ducking as a plate flew over her and shattered. 

Lorein was so surprised he flew off her neck to the nearest light fixture and nervously poked his head out. All the CP’s were going wild, some fighting, others drinking, and some playing a form of poker and throwing out different bills. Mara blinked as she stood tall and looked over the sea of crazy killers and demons. “Maybe I should just go to bed..”

She was about to head upstairs when she saw a bunch of people doing a drinking challenge and chugging down bottles. Mara smiled and shrugged, what was the point of feeling free if she didn’t enjoy it? Lorien chirped nervously as Mara went to the CP’s and sat with them. Lorien sat on her head and Mara watched for the moment as Offender continued to drink another bottle. As he finished the CP’s around him cheered and he smirked at Mara.

“Hey there missy! Come to join the fun?” Offender chuckled.

“Yeah, in fact, I want to see how much I can drink.” Mara said and Kagekao laughed.

“Let’s just start with five. I bet you can’t do more than that.” Kagekao said. “Wine, whiskey, vodka, or beer?”

Mara never liked alcohol because of the effects and taste, but as long as she didn’t over do it she should be fine. “Light beer?”

Kagekao shrugged and the CP’s started placing bets in the poll for Mara’s drinking ability. Mara didn’t see a problem with this, in fact her and Alyssa did something similar when they were in college, the only difference was they were chugging soda. Five bottles were placed in front of her and Lorien hopped off as she tilted her head back and began to drink the first bottle. The people around her watched anxiously and were soon switched to shock as she went onto her second bottle. Offender muttered to Kagekao. “Five bucks says she can’t hold her alcohol past the fifth bottle.”

“Five saying she can’t last three.” Kagekeo muttered back.

LJ looked up from his game of poker, and over to Mara in surprise. “I didn’t know Mara could drink.”

Jeff looked up from his cards at first worried, but she seemed to be enjoying herself as the CP’s began to cheer her on for the next bottle. “She’s fine LJ, I’ll worry if she passes out.”

“She’s just pounding them down!” Jason chuckled. “She’s going to make a man very happy someday~”

At the sexual joke Jeff glared and tackled Jason to the ground with an attempt to strangle him, thus starting a fight behind the crowd of drinkers. They continued to cheer Mara on as she finished the fifth bottle and let out loud cries of excitement as she threw the bottle to the floor and shattered it.

“Wow! Fucking sick Mara!” 

“Holy fuck she actually did it.”

“Pay up suck bag!”

Mara giggled and smirked. “Bet I can do another round?”

There were several cheers and Lorien finally got tired of watching and flew off. He started to look around for Jeff but realized he was fighting with Jason and didn’t want to get in the way. The demon went to the girls but they were absorbed in their movies or gossiping. Lorien let out a whine then stopped shen he flew upstairs for someone else, hopefully someone calmer and not drunk. Soon Lorien found one of the CP’s walking out of his room and Lorien tugged hard on the hooded figure.

“Hey! What the fuck are-” Lou looked at Lorien and tilted his head. “You’re Mara’s demon right?”

“Lorien!” Lorien cried out and flew in front of his face. “Lorien!”

“Lorien, got it. What’s wrong little guy?” Lou asked, pulling his hood back up and opening one of his hands for Lorien to sit on.

“Mara! Mara!” He called out, sitting on Lou’s hand and relaxing his tired arms.

“What about Mara?” Lou asked, staring at the demon with confusion.

Lorien let out a shrill of frustration and flew up, wrapping a tendril around Lou’s finger and pulling him along as best as he could. Lou stared in surprise at the grip of his index finger but walked downstairs where Lorien was pulling him. Walking downstairs Lou sighed at the mess, knowing well that he should leave the house tomorrow to avoid picking up this mess. Lorien was frantically pulling now and Lou started to get annoyed, but getting to the group of drunk CP’s he was shocked to see Mara swaying in her seat.

Lorien let go at that point and gripped onto her head and Lou then noticed the empty bottles in front of her. Kagekao was setting five new bottles in front of her but Lou quickly pushed through the others he grabbed Mara’s shoulder and shook her. “Mara, are you ok?”

She looked at him and giggled, her face flushed pink and her body swayed. “Heey~ what-what’s going on Lou?”

“Come on, you’ve had enough.” Lou said, making a few CP’s upset that they lost their main gambling bit. 

Carefully he picked her up and she giggled again, holding onto him like a child and kicking her feet a little. “Lou~! I can walk!”

“You’re drunk Mara.” Lou stated and started looking for her room. He sighed and looked at Lorien, who was still on Mara’s head. “Lorien, can you take me to her room?”

Lorien squeaked and flew off in the direction of Mara’s room, while Mara continued to whine at Lou. “I’m not drunk! I’m tipsy! I was j-just having fun.”

Lou took a sigh at her slurred words and then she began to pout at him. “Y-you don’t have to carry me. I-i’m not useless.”

“I know that, but you’ll most likely get hurt if I set you down.” Lou reasoned. She seemed like a giggly and independent drunk. And he hoped it was going to stay that way.

Lorien helped open the door and Lou walked in, setting Mara on her feet, which as he feared she did sway a bit. However, Mara seemed to be aware she was in her room and staggered to her bed before sitting down. “Wow..that beer was terrible...I hate alcohol.”

Lou noticed a water bottle that still had at least a quarter of water left in it and handed it to Mara before sitting next to her. “If you hate alcohol, why did you drink it?”

“Because I w-wanted to get wild.” Mara huffed and drank the rest of the water with no problem. “I-I finally understand th-that I don’t have to be p-perfect for my family if I got such wonderful friends.”

Lou nodded a little. “ok..I can understand that. You feel like you’re a new person with freedom.”

“Y-yeah, but I’m gonna hate myself tomorrow. E-even if it was only five beers.” Mara slurred. “I-I understand where I am, d-does drunk-being drunk is when you can’t remember shit or you have no idea what y-you’re doing. B-but ti-tipsy is when you know what’s going on you’re just fucked up.”

Lou couldn’t deny, she was cute when she was drunk, but it wasn’t a good idea to let her do anything else tonight. “Well, you should still sleep.”

“I’m not tired.” Mara said then turned to him. “Lou..I want to fuck.”

Lou nearly choked on the air when she said that and tried to look for any sign of being drunk. Her eyes were a little hazed but she was waiting for his answer as well, and she wasn’t swaying so much now that she was sitting. “Mara, we’re not having sex just because you’re getting excited.”

“Fine, what if I w-wanna have sex because I love you?” Mara asked, her voice was clearly slurred but she knew damn well what was going on. “Look, do any test you’d like...but I know what I’m saying.”

“Mara..” Lou growled, now started to get frustrated. “You shouldn’t throw that word around lightly..especially since you were the one that wanted to wait.”

Mara glared and grabbed the mask, successfully throwing it off his face and pushing him onto the bed. “Look Lou, I maybe tipsy but I can still kick your ass. I-I know what I said..but..but fuck I don’t wanna wait..”

Lou noticed the tears welling up in her eyes and he was very close to running out of the room as she sobbed. “I don’t want to feel l-like i’m a disap-pointment..I want to be who I couldn’t be before..”

Lou slowly sat up and helped Mara lay down, he lay with her and held her to his chest, which she began cuddling into his chest immediately. He listened as she sobbed into his chest, and pet her head. “You don’t have to do things like that to prove you’re free. Go to sleep ok?”

Mara sniffed and looked at him. “W-will you stay here?”

“Yeah I will..” Lou said, holding her closer and he waited for her to pass out.

The next morning, Mara knew she would hate herself, her head was pounding and she growled in anger at herself. She curled up into Lou’s chest and nuzzled against him. She remembered everything she did, but she hated herself for being so bitchy to Lou. Said killer woke up from the squirming body next to him, groaning in pain, and he smirked. “Regret last night?”

“Lou I will throw you out my window..” She threatened with a growl.

“Aw that’s not nice.” He chuckled and kissed her forehead, making her bat him away.

“Shoo, can you get me an aspirin?” 

“Why should I?” Lou huffed, holding her firmly to his chest.

“Because if you don’t I will shove you off this bed and call Lorien to eat you.”

Lorien poked his head up from his small pile of blankets before laying back down with a huff. “Nein!”

He really wasn’t in the mood for arguing, Lou rolled his eyes and got up, putting his mask on. “I won’t be long.”

“Thank you..” Mara moaned in pain before lazily reaching for her phone and looking at the time.

June 26th, Wednesday, 9:15am. She set her phone aside and slowly sat up, instantly hissing in pain but did a quick check over herself. Clothes were a bit wrinkled, but she smelled disgusting and her mouth was parched. She started removing her shirt and pants when the door opened and Lou was already back with a water bottle and a pill bottle of aspirin.

“um...I imagined you were thirsty.” He said, closing the door and handing her the pills and water.

“Yep..” Mara replied and quickly took a couple pills with a big drink of water. She looked at Lou but he had his head turned to the door and she huffed. “Come on, this can’t be your first time seeing half naked girl.”

“It’s not..but, I’m trying to respect your privacy.”

“Thanks..” Mara said and continued drinking the water. “Sorry you had to deal with me, I was a big pain.”

“You remember?” Lou asked, looking to her, he seemed genuinely surprised.

“Yeah, I mean it’s fuzzy but it’s there.” Mara said and stood up. “So, again sorry you had to see that and thanks for watching me.”

“Actually, Lorien was the one who got me.” Lou said, looking to the tired demon.

Mara smiled and walked over, despite the pain she started kissing Lorien’s head. “Aww~ my loyal protector.”

The demon made a squeal and hid himself in the blankets, making both the CP and human chuckle. Mara then walked back to Lou and stood on her toes to peck his cheek of his mask, which made him freeze in his spot. Even though she technically kissed the mask it made him flustered and Mara smiled. “Get some rest. I’ll see you guys later.”

Mara didn’t wait for a response before heading to the shower, hell she didn’t care that she was half naked. Most of the CP’s were probably asleep anyways. On her way she saw LJ and when he noticed her she saw how he bit his lip to hide his laugh. She glared at him and whispered. “You laugh and I will rip your tongue out..”

“I’d like to see you try.” He snorts and then takes a deep breath before saying quickly, still trying to conceal his laugh. “So what’s up?”

“I was going to shower..I’m surprised you’re up though. Aren’t you tired?”

“I am, I’m not going to bed just yet though. I wanted to see if I could borrow Jeff’s hoodie.” LJ shrugged.

Mara raised a brow. “You say borrow it..for what purpose?”

“To sleep with obviously.” LJ smiled, as if it was the most stupidest question in the world.

“Right..are you lonely?” Mara asked and LJ blinked, confirming her suspicions. “You’re used to holding him?”

“I was.” LJ admitted with a small smile. “You have no idea how I feel about separation, I just need something to remind me of him.”

“I get it.” Mara boldly spoke up. “You were trapped in your box for years. Then alone for many years on your murder spree..then finally getting with Jeff and having to leave him. None of that’s easy LJ.”

LJ seemed surprised but relaxed and chuckled. “Am I that easy to read or is that just extra research you’ve done on me?”

“I’m just going off what I know.” Mara said then passed him to go to the bathroom. 

LJ watched silently and then called out before she closed the door. “Mara, can I talk to you about something?”

Mara thought for a moment but stepped out from the bathroom and looked to him. “What is it LJ?”

“What are you going to do the night of the massacre?” LJ questioned. “You can’t exactly just go home and pretend it’s not happening. Especially if everyone thinks you’re being weird.”

Mara was quiet, she didn’t exactly have another plan other than going home. But he was right, she couldn’t just play this off since now she’s told her friend’s about her “ex gang boyfriend.” There would be too much of a connection, and now her father is trying to snoop on her life too. However, if she was in an accident, then she couldn’t be found out or seen as connected.

“I’ll figure something out, we have time.” Mara smiled to him.

LJ watched her with slight judgement reflecting in his eyes but then smiled. “If you say so~” 

She watched as he went down the hall to find Jeff’s room and Mara’s mind began to wander. Maybe it was just the hangover but she could barely remember taking her shower. She did regret drinking and forcing Lou to listen to her immature babbling, she would have to give him a better apology when she wasn’t so grumpy and half-assed. Checking her schedule she began looking for the date of when the massacre should happen, as sadistic as it was she wanted a night more people would be out. Her phone began to ring, making her nearly drop it in the process before answering.

“Hello?”

“Mara Pierce?”

“Yes..? who’s this?” Mara asked, getting a little cautious.

“We need you to come to the police station.”

“Like..right now? I have work at 12 and I won’t be off until very late.”

“If you can’t make it today please come at your earliest convenience.”

“Alright..” Mara hung up and her brows furrowed. What would the police want?


	21. 2h Mode Enabled

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Now I got a note from wattpad, confusion on the titles. The reason I use these titles is the meaning in them. If you’ve noticed, all related to Gaming terminology, why i’m using gaming terms i’ll leave you all to find out.)

Thursday, June 27th, and Mara was in deep shit. She had warned Slender about the call and to keep the CP’s inside for the night. Her work for that day was only from morning to evening so right after her shift she walked to the police station, biting her lip anxiously. Lorien was currently hiding in her purse, she didn’t want to risk him being seen on her body and he was too stubborn to wait at the mansion. Taking a couple deep breaths she walked inside the station and went to the front desk, one of the male officers looked up at her.

“Um..I’m Mara Pierce, I got a call yesterday to come in?”

“Ah yes, thank you for coming. If you’ll follow me please.” He said politely before standing up and leading her through the office.

They walked past a couple cubicles, when Lorien tried to poke his head out Mara immediately pushed him back in with her index finger. “Lorien, stay..” Mara muttered quietly.

“Did you say something miss?” The officer asked, turning to her for a second.

“Nope! Just um..I forgot my phone.” Mara smiled.

The officer said nothing and opened a door to a conference room, to which Mara walked inside and the officer spoke. “Wait here please, someone will be in shortly.”

Mara only nodded slightly as he closed the door and Lorien flew out from her bag, squeaking angrily at her for shoving him in the bag. Mara quickly cupped him in her hands and shushed him. “Lorien quiet! If they see you i’ll be in more trouble!”

The door opened causing Mara’s heart to jump in her chest and she turned around quickly to smile at the man coming in, holding her hands behind her. “Hello sir!”

She was not sure if she should feel relieved or nervous that it was Detective Colin that walked in, the man that asked her about the attack from Masky. “Hello miss Pierce, are you ok?”

“Yep! Totally fine.” Mara smiled.

“Good, I just wanted to talk to you about something we dug up.” Colin said as he sat in one of the chairs. “Have a seat.”

Mara slowly sat down, shoving her hands into her purse and opening them. “Of course, is something wrong?”

“In a way..we decided to take another look at the camera’s in the more recent days. Do you know these people?” Colin asked, opening a file.

Her heart stopped as she saw images of EJ, Nathan, and Hoodie. She had to come up with a lie and fast. “Yeah they’re new friends of mine from college. They wanted to meet up but because i’ve been working they’ve been just stopping by.”

Colin didn’t seem convinced and added on. “And you walk home with them?”

“Oh no, just a couple blocks away.” Mara said. “Is there a problem with-”

Mara froze as she looked past Colin and saw Lorien drinking out of a creamer cup by the coffee machine. “Mara?”

She quickly looked back at him. “S-sorry I just..sometimes I still see that man and I..”

Colin nodded. “I completely understand. But you have nothing to worry about. I remember I had a similar case to this when-”

Mara wasn’t listening, staring towards Lorien as she holds back from yelling out to him. The little demon was happily opening another creamer cup and drinking it, to which his face was covered in the creamer. Colin snapped his fingers which brought her to her senses and she smiled.

“Sir could I have some coffee?”

“Oh of course.” Colin said in minor surprise.

Mara quickly hurried over and grabbed Lorien, shoving him in her purse before getting a cup heated up. She didn’t like coffee, it gave her a headache, but maybe if she drowned it with creamer it would be ok.

“You seem distracted.” Colin pointed out.

“No it’s..” Mara bit her lip before replying. “My father..is being over protective lately, he’s even been talking to my friends and now trying to spy on my life..”

Colin nodded and smiled at her. “That’s what fathers do. I have a couple youngins that are all grown up, but my girls aren’t afraid to tell their old man if something’s wrong. Especially after an experience like yours.”

Mara brought over her cup and sat back down with a sigh. “I know he loves me but..I’m old enough to make my own choices and I can be who I want.”

“That doesn’t mean he won’t ever stop worrying.” Colin said.

Mara smiled, it was sweet of him to say, but he wouldn’t get the situation she was in. “Sir, is there anything else you need?”

“Well if you confirm these are your friends then I have nothing else to ask.” Colin said, collecting the photos. “We just wanted to make sure you were not being threatened by people.”

“No..thank you for checking though.” Mara smiled and stood up.

“Wait, there is one thing.” Colin caught quickly. “Your father reported to us a couple days ago that his computer was hacked, do you happen to know the code to the computer?”

“Well yeah..but I don’t know the code for the case he hides it in.” Mara shrugged off.

“Hmm..thank you then, you’re good to go.” Colin said and took out a pen to scribble something in the files.

Mara quickly left, leaving her cup on the table and walking out of the building. She felt like she was suffocating on nothing, keeping her eyes to the ground as she began jogging to the woods. Lorien had slipped out and flew above her as her sprinting began to turn to running. Mara mentally beat herself for a rookie mistake. She should’ve worn gloves at the party! She used to insult criminals that wouldn’t do the same! Fear started to creep into her heart and Lorien noticed the distress, flying onto her head and biting a chunk of her hair before pulling back on it.

Mara let out a small gasp but this stopped her running, her lungs begged her to give them oxygen and she forced herself to sit by the trees. Lorien flew down in front of her, his eyes drooped a bit in concern and Mara cupped him carefully in her hands. She held him to her chest as he listened to her uneven breathing. Mara knew what was happening, she didn’t have long before her father confronted her about her finger prints on his case, along with who Zero and Jay really were. Her mother would turn a blind eye, but her father was very particular about his stuff being touched, and no one could blame him for it. Head of a company, having the access to look over hundreds of files, that is something important to protect.

After what felt like hours, Mara’s breath had leveled and she glanced at the sun that had painted orange and red across the skies and behind the city. Her legs protested the movement of her standing and walking, but she just wanted to get to the mansion. It was odd to her, she’s been staying there for days and she’s sure dust bunnies had collected at her home, along with mail. She wasn’t worried about bills because she could do them over the phone, but it was not going to be a pleasant sight when she returned. Now, she had to worry about the CP’s and get this out of her life.

On her way she froze as she heard some large thumps, and in front of her Strider stepped out of the thicker trees. He was a tall creature and he was said to be dangerous, driving his victims to paranoia before eating them. She wasn’t scared though, smiling she stepped closer and even Lorien flew out to great the tall beast. The large and fluffy head leaned down to let Lorien squeak at him and just far enough so Mara could pet him. A low rumble vibrated in his chest at the affection, and Lorien quickly settled himself on Strider’s head.

“How are you bud? Are you looking for something to eat?” Mara asked, getting a nod. “Well, come on, let’s look together ok? There’s got to be some deer around.”

Strider nodded and turned, walking back into the thick brush and Mara followed, staying next to his side. It was a little odd, only because he couldn’t talk and she had nothing to say to him, but she watched in fascination as he scouted for food. At one moment he stopped walking and let out a huff, signalling Lorien to get off, which he then flew straight to Mara. Strider turned his head to Mara and huffed before walking away.

“I guess that means wait here?” Mara asked, looking at the small demon on her shoulder, whom shrugged at her. 

Deciding to do just that, she sat down and played with Lorien, throwing a small rubber ball that she kept in her purse for just these occasions. She would throw it and he’d try to grab it before it touched the ground, but considering he had no hands, claws, or a larger mouth to grab it he had to settle with his lower body tendril. In the distance, a loud wail rang off for only a couple seconds before it went silent, signalling that Strider found his meal. Mara waited patiently, enjoying the peace that the forest brought, and the little demon that nuzzled her head for attention.

Strider came back soon after the wail that was heard, his mouth covered in blood as some dripped down the furry beast’s chest. Mara stood up, stuffing the rubber ball away and smiling. “Ready to head back?”

Strider let out a huff and slowly began to kneel in front of Mara, which confused her. Not knowing what to do she only watched him as he sat fully on the ground. “Are you...tired?”

The beast rose his head and let out a low rumbling sound, turning his head to look at his back. Lorien quickly understood and sat on the back of Strider’s neck before looking at Mara and chirped out. “Sit!”

“Oh!” Mara giggled before walking over and carefully climbing onto Strider’s back. “I’m not too heavy right?”

It felt like a proper question at the time, but stupid as Strider easily picked himself up and began walking home. Mara laughed to herself, not only because of the height she was up, but also she had to hold onto Strider as he walked. He was a tall beast not a bulky one, so she only had his fur to grip onto. She enjoyed the ride though, having to duck when branches were too close, and when the mansion came into view, she was shocked to see so many of the CP’s already training.

Liu was the first to notice her, looking up from his fight with Vailly to call out. “Seems like Strider likes you.”

Mara giggled and coming into view the other CP’s noticed her. Some scoffed and others resumed training, but her friends watched her. Cat hunter, one of Zalgo’s men walked over as Strider kneeled down and he offered a hand to Mara. Cat hunter wasn’t someone Mara had known very well, but took his hand and allowed him to help her down. “Milady~”

Mara smirked at the tease in his voice and playfully bowed to him. “Thank you sir.”

“Mara!” Isaac called out, running from his battle with LJ. As he came closer he quickly hugged her and said. “Thanks for letting us come here! Training with the CP’s is awesome!”

“N-no prob!” Mara wheezed out, trying to breathe and not be stabbed by Isaac’s mask at the same time.

“Hey! Let go of her already!” Jeff yelled out, storming over and ripping Mara from his grasp.

“Geez so protective.” Cat Hunter mumbled as he crossed his arms. “What is this human to you Slender CP’s?”

“She’s no normal human.” Liu said, moving to stand by Mara and Jeff. “she’s the one making all this possible.”

“Don’t get me wrong she’s amazing, but you guys treat her like..she’s a CP.” Isaac said, shrugging a bit.

“Uhm, this human is still here.” Mara hissed out and moved from Jeff’s grasp. “Look guys, Jeff and I have known each other for a long time..There’s just protective of me.”

“Liu! Get your ass over here! We’re still training!” Vailly shouted.

“I’m coming! Don’t let your panties get in a twist!” Liu yelled back and looked at Jeff. “Don’t do anything stupid..”

Jeff growled at him as he walked away from his side, but looked at Isaac and Cat Hunter. “Look she’s like a sister, so fuck off already and go back to training.”

Cat Hunter seemed annoyed but only grumbled as he passed, and Isaac kept looking over Mara and Jeff, like he was going to say something. Just as he opened his mouth LJ called over to him. “Isaac! Back to fighting!”

“On it!” Isaac called back and ran past Jeff and Mara to continue fighting with LJ.

Mara chuckled as Jeff grit his teeth in annoyance but put a hand on his shoulder. “Jeff, what’s got you so fired up? Is all this fighting getting your Killer Instinct running again?”

Jeff grumbled and crossed his arms, a sour look crossed his face. “I have no trouble controlling that..and hell, some of these CP’s and SCP’s put up a good fight..but I don’t like having Isaac being a little prick.”

Mara said nothing at first, looking over as LJ and Isaac were fighting, seemingly perfectly matched with Isaac being faster but LJ being more tricky. Then it hit her and she smirked. “You don’t like him fighting with LJ?”

“I don’t like him, period.” Jeff scowled. “I know that they have history, but I still don’t like how clingy Isaac gets with everyone.”

“Jeff, maybe you should train with Isaac.” Mara said, Jeff turned to her to protest but she yanked on his hair a bit. “Listen to me, when we met he was ecstatic to meet you, he admires you Jeff.”

Jeff didn’t seem convinced, moving Mara’s hand away from his hair as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. “whatever..So, what did you have to do today? Just work?”

“Work and..I had to go to the police station.” Mara said, gaining his attention again. “Our time is getting cut down, if they find evidence of me on my father’s computer then we’re screwed.”

Just as Jeff was going to say something, Mara’s phone rang and she quickly looked at the Caller ID, shocked to see it was her mother. “Shit..hold on Jeff-”

“I get it, head inside, it’s a bit more quiet.” Jeff said before walking off to find a partner to fight.

Mara hurried inside and answered her phone, trying to calm herself. “Mom? What’s up?”

“Mara, your father talked with the police station about the finger prints and they said yours were on there. What were you doing on his laptop?”

Mara sighed. “Mom, those fingerprints could have been old. I haven’t lived with you guys recently or needed to use his laptop.”

“Don’t give me that Mara, you know what sensitive files he has over home security, and we’re worried your friends might have been involved. They didn’t threaten you to open it right? Or hack it?”

“Mom for gods sakes no!” Mara snapped. “I wasn’t forced into anything, and I didn’t download anything or hack!”

Without another word, Mara hung up and leaned against the nearest wall, pinching the bridge of her nose. Lorien crooned and nuzzled her head, but she did nothing, making him whimper and sit on her head. Mara looked at the phone in her hand before stuffing it into her pocket, taking a couple deep breaths to soothe the pain raging in her throat. Lorien attempted to get her attention again, flying down to hug her neck as he licked her throat. Mara couldn’t help but smile at his comfort and pet him gently. “We’re going to get fucked if we don’t take care of this soon..I need to talk to Slender.”

Mara had only took one step before her mind went blank, and her body seemed stuck in place. She couldn’t move, she was barely able to think, only being able to see and hear. Even Lorien seemed stuck as he let out a low whine, but still holding on around her neck. Mara opened her mouth but a voice cut her off. “Now I wouldn’t talk if I were you.”

She didn’t know what happened next, all she knew was her world was spinning as a sharp pain entered her arm. Her vision blurred for what seemed like forever, only turning to be a few seconds, and as her vision cleared she was shocked at her environment. It seemed like a lecture hall, no more as a courtroom, with high walls surrounding her and shadowed figures circled around Mara. Mara couldn’t speak, her mind was still trying to catch up with what happened and where she was, and poor Lorien still seemed in shock as he shook against her throat. 

When she felt her body be cut free from her invisible strings she collapsed onto her knees, barely processing the words around her. One light shined over her, basking her with light while the rest of the room remained dark. The shadowed figures had different shapes and sizes but nothing she could detail, all she could describe were the glowing eyes of all types of shades and colors. They whispered around her, making Mara watch them with suspicion and fear, yet she didn’t feel like she was in danger.

“Why her?”

“Why a human? Humans are nothing but fuel.”

“Calm my council members..”

The voices continued and Mara started to understand. She was in front of the council, but how? And why are they here? Footsteps rang out in front of Mara as black boots came into view from the shadows. Mara looked up, the person before her resembled a plague doctor. His pants and boots black while a long crimson overcoat covered his torso and limbs. The mask made it impossible for her to see his face and eyes but black locks spilled out and around the mask from his red hood. What frightened her most was his left hand seemed normal, but his right hand looked stretched and his nails were black and were grown out to claws. 

She jolted as the man chuckled and said with a low modulated yet guttural voice. “Welcome Mara, to the Council of the Creepypastas.”

Mara flinched as the voices around her seemed to grow louder, talking to each other freely. Trying to ignore them, she focused on the man before her, unable to recognize him. “W-who are you? How did I get here?”

“My, full of questions are you?” He teased, but bowed to her. “I am Dr. Locklear. And how you got here does not matter. You are here before the Council to have a chat.”

“D-did I do something wrong?” Mara asked, slowly finding the strength to stand up again.

“You are fucking with everything we’ve built!” A grating voice yelled, making Mara wince at the voice.

“We’ve helped make this civilization to preserve the natural order of good and evil.” a more monotonous voice said. “If the CP’s were to start being more human the balance would collapse.”

“Plus, if the CP’s were to stop making the humans afraid we would lose our supply of power.” the feminine yet raucous voice added.

“Hold it!” Mara suddenly shouted up to the rows of Council members. “You honestly think they’ll give up killing just because they feel a tad bit of love? Just because they want to have the same hobbies or passions of humans?”

“What other explanation is there?” A man’s sotto voce questioned. “If they desire the same things as humans then they could be losing their killer side. Soon enough they’ll forget all together they’ll start to pity or envy the humans and want to be like them.”

Mara thought out the scenario in her head, but she knew the way to win this fight. “What if they do? If they’re rejected by humans or grow to hate the life then it’ll overlap again. They’ll kill the people that make them mad and everything will be back to normal.”

Several roars and arguments rang out over this, but Dr. Locklear only crossed his arms and watched Mara in amusement as she continued. “Deny it all you want! But you know damn well they don’t have the patience or humanity for a normal life anymore! They fucking beat each other up as a game! They throw knives at each other and laugh it off like siblings!”

Many of the Council members went silent but one called down to her. “Even if they were to be in love and still kill it would only complicate things.”

“Ha! So you guys don’t know how things will turn out!” Mara pointed a finger at the man that spoke. “You guys don’t know because you’ve only reset their lives when you were scared!”

One of the CP members let out a roar, which actually thundered through Mara’s body. “I will NOT be called a coward by a human!”

“You said it not me.” Mara replied back, glaring at the creature.

“Listen you puny-”

“I think we should hear her out.” Dr. Locklear called out, walking closer to Mara. “she clearly thinks this could work.”

Mara nodded her thanks to him, to which he nodded back and then she looked around at the Council. “Look, I know nothing about how you run a civilization. But destroying one and rebuilding it won’t make you grow. If you actually connected and spoke to the CP’s you’d understand that they’d never give up killing. You think hiding in the shadows and feasting on the fear-fueled souls is strong. But you’re just a bunch of cowards! Forcing Zalgo and Slender to contain them! If you want real strength you’ll go out and hunt for yourselves!”

A few growls and whispers echoed around, but one more calm and female voice asked. “You believe we should connect to the CP’s? And go out on the field?”

“Yes! For god’s sakes, if you want people scared help yourselves. Don’t act like a bunch of crippled monsters.” Mara sighed. “And if you do that then the CP’s might trust you more. If you stay in the shadows they might become rebellious. That’s what happened before right? Their killing rate slowed to pay attention to their loved ones and you all flew off the handle. But think about it, isn’t it better that way? If they kill too much there won’t be humans to kill or they’ll fight against the CP’s more and hunt them down. But if they have their own lives with people they love, then that gives the humans enough time to populate.”

More of the council members began talking, arguing, and even some growled at each other. Mara stood helplessly to the side, waiting to see how they would respond, and tensed up when she felt a claw tap her shoulder. She looked to Locklear and tilted her head a little. “Yeah?”

“You are awful brave for a human. Standing up to a bunch of creatures like them.” Locklear compliments. “But you realize the Council will only take a risk if they’re given something in return.”

“Have they taken risks before?” Mara asked, keeping her voice low.

“Yes, but either they become worried about the outcomes, or they completely destroy the Creepypastas.” 

Mara nodded and sighed, looking at the large group as they began to quiet down and one voice, of a more elderly man asked. “Mara, given the fact that you are helping the CP’s we trust that you know they can not be your friends once this is over.”

Although she knew that was true, it was still sad to hear. “I know..”

“You are giving us many souls soon, along with the CP’s purpose of being world known killers again. Therefore, it seems fair to give something back to them..if this mission turns to success then we will give them their right to be who they want.”

Mara’s lips twitched up into a smile and she hopefully called out. “And..about you seeing them?”

“That will be complicated, but if you believe they will be rebellious from us staying here, maybe it’s best we see them.”

“I still believe this human does not know what she’s saying.” One voice hissed, but the elder replied back.

“I suppose we will have to find out.”

Mara sighed and bowed to the group of Council members. “Thank you for hearing me out..I know I'll never see them again after this, but you’re giving them what they want most.”

“Hold it.” Dr. Locklear suddenly called out, making Mara turn to him. “Maybe she doesn’t have to leave.”

Mara narrowed her eyes and felt Lorien detach from her neck to growl at the man. “What are you getting at?”

“You’re improving the CP’s!” Locklear replied. “Don’t you see? Instead of being human, why not be a CP yourself?”

“Because i’m too sane! Dr. Smiley has already explained this to me.” Mara spat in return. She did not want any false hopes when she’s gotten this far. 

“Come now, how insane does Slender seem to you?” He asked, beginning to walk around her, but Mara refused to let him out of her sight. “In fact look at Jeff, you consider him as a brother right? Or friend? How can you not question all he’s done.”

“He killed because he was bullied-”

“In his past life, but what about now? He continues to kill innocence and you turn from it. And what about Heartful Lou, you actually admitted you love him.”

Mara began to panic a little. “How did you-”

“Also the little demon you hold, he’s a dream eating mon-”

“STOP IT!” Mara screamed at him, instantly holding Lorien to her chest. “I don’t give a damn what you think! If I want to stay human I will! It’s my choice!”

Dr. Locklear seemed stunned, stopping his movements altogether. However, he began to laugh, first low then it rose up in volume. “You, are most definitely interesting! Until we meet again Mara~”

He did a playful bow before Mara’s vision blurred again and in a few seconds she opened her eyes to see herself in the hall where she was in before fading out. Feeling a stinging feeling in her arm, she quickly looked down and gasped seeing a needle in her arm and she quickly, but carefully removed it. Her body shook a little and Mara felt ill, this made Lorien fly in front of her and give a worried look as he churred. “I-i’m ok Lorien..I just need to lay down..”

Lorien sat on her head again as Mara made her way back to her room, when she laid down her body went lax. Her mind began to give in to the warm sheets and she quickly grabbed her phone to set her alarm. Lorien hopped off her to get in his blankets, and Mara quickly covered herself before giving in to sleep.

“Mara?”

“Mara! Get up!”

“For fucking Zalgo’s sake-”

Mara yelped and jolted awake as she was thrown off her bed and looked up to see Jeff. “What the fuck Jeff?!” She glanced at her clock. “It’s 5 in the morning!”

“Fuck your sleep!” Jeff growled. “Explain why your friends are in the forest!”


	22. Suffereing DPS

“What do you mean they’re in the forest!?” Mara shouted, all laziness leaving her and she got up instantly, rubbing her side from when she fell on the floor. “Why would they be here at 5?!”

“How should I know!” Jeff yelled back. “But Hoodie and Jay confirmed it’s your friend.”

“Show me.” Mara demanded and Jeff left the room with her on his heels.

Jeff lead her downstairs to one of the rooms she’s come to find all the Proxies hiding in. It was a form of security room, linking the main connection between all their cameras that were apparently placed in the forest. Mara was still trying to find an explanation for that. Jeff shoved Kate away by her seat, causing her to snarl at him, but he ignored her and pointed to one of the cameras. “This is your friend right?”

Mara stepped closer, looking at the slightly fuzzy camera and seeing Alyssa on the screen. It looked like she and some of her friends were out tonight, and clearly drunk by how they were swaying around and one guy still had a beer bottle. Mara sighed. “Yeah...don’t worry about them, they’re probably just out from a party. Alyssa has tons of friends.”

“Oh well...you might want to go get Toby then.” Kate said from behind them.

“Excuse me?” Mara asked looking at her. “What do you mean?”

“Toby was sent to scout them and possibly kill them.” Kate replied calmly.

Mara has never ran so fast out of a room, she didn’t even bother to check where they were again, she just needed to find Toby. As she ran outside it didn’t take long before she heard footsteps behind her, thumping louder and when she looked to her left she was surprised to see Smile Dog. Jeff joined shortly on her right and said. “You wouldn’t be able to find them fast enough. Smile, fetch Toby.”

Smile barked before hightailing it in front of Jeff and Mara, to which Mara was very impressed. “I wish my mom’s cat could get whoever or whatever I wanted.”

“Heh, that’s why dogs are better. Especially the CP ones.” Jeff smirked with pride at his canine companion.

Mara and Jeff slowed down a bit when Smile was out of their sight, seeing no point in running if Smile still had to find Toby first. “Toby won’t kill them right? I mean..you guys don’t just kill everyone that enters here right?”

Jeff gave an uncertain look to her. “Um...yes? We normally don’t let people live when they enter our territory.”

Mara groaned, gripping her hair. “Why Alyssa? Why did you have to go drink?”

“Does she often run off to random parties?” Jeff questioned, pulling his hood over his head.

“They’re not random, but they always end up in random places.” Mara sighed, letting go of her hair. “One time they were drinking at the bar and the next morning wound up in a construction site.”

“That..that’s really weird.” Jeff admitted and stopped walking when he saw Smile come into view with Toby’s hood in his jaws as he dragged Toby to them. “Good boy~”

“Come on Smile you’re ripping my hood!” Toby shouted, trying to get on his feet but the CP dog only tugged him back onto the ground and continued to drag him. “You’re getting dirt and twigs in my pants too!”

Mara went to help Toby up, who looked rather pissed off. “Toby why were you hunting my friends?”

Smile dropped Toby’s hood, releasing Toby from his hold as Jeff began to pet his dog. Toby sat up and grumbled. “I was just stalking. I wasn’t going to do anything….Ok one of those is a lie.”

Mara sighed. “The “not going to do anything” was a lie right?”

“Yeah! How did you know?” Toby asked, tilting his head.

“Because it was obvious.” Jeff huffed and began to walk back to the mansion with Smile. “You two coming?”

“I want to speak with Toby for a bit.” Mara spoke, gaining a surprised look from Jeff. “Just trust me.”

Jeff said nothing but nodded before walking off, and Toby continued to look at Mara with confusion. Mara gently helped Toby pat off the dirt and twigs off his back and arms. “Toby, do you always cause this much trouble?”

“It’s not trouble, it’s fun! A lot of the CP’s are just so boring, someone has to liven things up!” Toby smiled, his head making small twitches as he replied.

“Yes but aren’t you worried about getting into trouble?” Mara asked, moving away so he could pat off his pants.

“Nope!” Toby chuckled. “If I did, then it would take the fun out of everything! Clocky always said that I was more fun when I was unpredictable!”

Mara couldn’t stop the smile on her lips. “You really love her don’t you?”

“Of course! She’s amazing in every way!” Toby beamed. “Even when she’s trying to cut my head off.”

“Ah..that’s sweet.” Mara mumbled, still trying to keep her smile going. She doesn’t understand why she keeps forgetting they’re CP’s, but it surprises her nonetheless. “Look, just no attacking my friends ok? That way I can focus on getting you back with her.”

“You will!?” Toby chimed and leaned closer to her, making her lean back.

“U-uh yeah I will. Promise.” Mara chuckled back.

“Yahoo! Thanks Mara! You’re the best human ever!” Toby rejoiced and began to run home. “I’ll see you later!”

Mara shook her head a little at the CP before wandering deeper into the woods, spotting Alyssa and her friends. “Alyssa!”

Alyssa quickly turned to look at Mara and slurred. “Hey girl~! What..what are you doing here? You don’t like clubs..”

“Alyssa..you guys are in the woods.” Mara pointed out. “You should probably go home before Sam worries.”

“A-ah shit you’re right, he’ll be fucking pissed if he...he realizes I’m gone still.” Alyssa mumbled and looked to her friends. “Guys! Phil! Grab-grab your ford or whatever it is.”

“Who’s she Alyssa?” One of the guys asked, pointing to Mara.

Mara rolled her eyes and walked to the group. “Come on everyone i’ll show you how to get out.”

“S-seriously Mara why a-are you here?” Alyssa asked while Mara grabbed her arm to balance her.

“Well I was..stargazing.” Mara shrugged off.

“You got a date~?” One of the guys asked, but the alcohol on his breath made Mara cringe. 

“No, and I don’t plan on one.” Mara glared at him. “Come on, follow me guys.”

“Stargazing? G-girl I didn’t know that!” Alyssa giggled. “Stupid hobby.”

“There are worse things other than stargazing.” Mara sighed. “Like collecting lunch boxes I suppose..But why are you guys in the woods?”

“I dunno..” Alyssa hiccupped. “I think w...we were making bets.”

“Yeah! Who could go into the woods and come out alive.” A guy laughed. “Seems like it was a fluke.”

Oh how she wished she let Toby kill the guys. “Uh-huh..ok Alyssa you promised no more late night drinking parties.”

“I-I know but these guys we-were with me since high school! They’re friends!” Alyssa whined, staggering on her feet.

“And you wonder why I don’t drink..” Mara grumbled, internally hating herself for getting drunk with the CP’s. A mistake she would not ever repeat since she’s a totally lightweight.

Leading the group wasn’t hard, but Mara was wanting to rip out a couple of the guy’s tongues for the flirting and sexual jokes. Plus it was complicated when one had to stop to throw up or take a piss. Eventually, she made it to the border and bid them goodnight before turning to head home. It was still early morning, that much was clear, but even then Mara was surprised by how chilly the morning was for a summer day. 

The meeting with the council flashed through her mind along with Locklear. Just imagining him gave her the shivers and the judgement of the council didn’t help either. “Old fuck wads..”

“Say something human?”

“Fucking Fuck!” Mara jolted, feeling her heart momentarily stop before she turned to see Zalgo. “Don’t you know it’s rude to sneak up on people?!”

Zalgo only laughed in reply, holding his stomach as he hunched over slightly. “Y-you have some guts kid. Snapping at the council members.”

Mara glared and huffed. “Get to the point already, clearly you’re not here just to laugh or compliment.”

Once the demon caught his breath he stood tall again and gave her a twisted grin, his crimson red eyes watching her. “You see..I heard about your...spat with Locklear about being a Creepy-”

“No.” Mara cut off firmly. “I won’t make a deal and I won’t be a CP.”

“You didn’t even let me finish.” Zalgo sounded dejected but his eyes narrowed. 

“I don’t need you too. It’s clear you only want to make a deal so you have my soul or make me part of your team in lifelong servitude.”

Zalgo mockingly put a hand over his chest. “Ouch, that really hurts. Can’t you believe I want to do something nice for you?”

Mara raised a brow, cocking her head to the side. “Zalgo. You’re like, Satan’s brother. If movies and games have taught me anything, don’t trust a demon.”

“Wise kid~” Zalgo chuckled darkly. “I’ll admit it’s been a while since I’ve had a Pure soul. But seriously, you’ve never thought of being a CP?”

Mara’s gaze turned to the ground and a frown graced her lips. “I’ll admit...I did think about it, but I couldn’t..”

“Why’s that?”

“Because, I have a family, friends, if I just suddenly disappeared..I couldn’t forgive myself.” Mara’s arms crossed over her chest, keeping her gaze down.

“But what about what you want? You want to live a life of boring routine? Only to have a family then die?” The voice was honeyed as it dropped an octave.

“No, but I couldn’t kill anyone. It’s not right.” Mara snapped, closing her eyes, but the voice only got closer and was near to a whisper.

“And yet, here you are, ready to kill the scum of the world and restore the CP’s glory. Plus, being a CP is more than killing, it’s immortality with no rules or chains to hold you back~” Zalgo purred in her ear. “I can just see you now, working alongside Slender and proxies, while getting your world rocked by Lou~ wouldn’t you like that?”

Mara gasped and she opened her eyes as the heat from the demon began to burn her back. She quickly turned to hit him but her forearm was grabbed and a searing pain shot through her skin straight to the bone. With surprise and pain she screamed and kicked at Zalgo’s legs to make him let go. “Zalgo! What are you doing?!”

“Making a deal~” Zalgo sneered and released her, and being the only thing keeping her balanced she felt back onto the ground, clutching her forearm. He grinned as she looked to examine her arm and she gasped at Zalgo’s symbol burned on her forearm with the leftover bruising from where his hand was wrapped around.

“W-what the fuck did you do!?” Mara shouted and tears began to gather in her eyes. She knew about the Zalgo marking but she didn’t know what it was going to do to her.

“You seemed so confident about this plan, and confident about what you really want.” Zalgo chuckled. “So i’ll make it easy for you~ If being human is truly what you care about most, that marking ensured your soul is mine to eat when you die~”

“T-that’s it?” Mara glared at him, wiping her tears away. “You had me scared-”

“Ah~ I wasn’t done.” Zalgo quipped, leaning over. “But if you remain human, you can never have a relationship~ if your virginity is gone then that means your soul is tainted and you’ll die right as soon as you lose it. I want a pure soul to eat.”

Mara’s heart froze up, her body felt heavy as she continued to sit there. “And..if I chose to be a CP?”

“Then the mark will vanish, but! Then that means you also must work for me as well~ if you only become a CP on Slender’s side then that’s not fair is it?” Zalgo chided. “So, it’ll vanish if you become a CP AND work for me. Even living with Slender and working beside him is alright, but you must also be loyal to me.”

Mara’s tears began to trail down her cheeks and her throat felt sore. “Why...why? What do you want me for anyways you fucking monster!”

“Aww~ I’m flattered.” Zalgo teased and moved away. “Really though, meeting you has been a real treat~ I figured either I would eat your soul or enslave you. But eating you would only be pleasurable for so long, and enslaving you would turn you into an empty shell. I figured you’d be happy.”

The grin and his eyes were shining with entertainment and playfulness, making Mara’s mind draw a blank. “I-i’ll tell Slender what you did!”

“He can’t help you fool.” Zalgo seethed. “Once I make my mark, my deal has been set.”

Mara felt hopeless, she could barely move was it was. She just sat there, clutching her arm and staring at the mark that seemed to throb red with every beat of her heart. It was practically taunting her. She only looked up when Zalgo clicked his tongue. “Now don’t be so downhearted~ with everyday you delay on the genocide, the sooner you become a CP~”

“WHAT!?” Mara shouted, finally getting the strength to sit up straight.

“If I recall correctly..” Zalgo hummed, pretending to think. “With every sunrise you become more like a CP until you make a choice. Or if you die from transformation, whichever comes first. In fact~ I think it’s sunrise now~”

Mara looked to the East and stood up slowly and watched as the azure blue sky began to mix with gold on the horizon. As the sun came into view a sharp pain shot through her bones, making her collapse back onto her knees as she gripped the wet grass below her. Mara took deep breaths to ignore the pain but it raced through her body like hitting her funny bone on a desk. After getting her wits she looked around her body but saw nothing unusual and glared at Zalgo. “It didn’t do anything..”

“Are you sure~?” Zalgo cackled and pointed at her. “Check under your clothes. I promise I’ll keep look out.”

She waited until he turned to start feeling under her shirt and her legs. For a while she felt relief, no bumps, horns, bones sticking out or odd markings. Slowly she stretched a hand behind her back and then felt her relief crumble and dread take its place. On her shoulder blades she felt two bumps that felt like bone, and pointing out from her back. Fear struck her and she yelled at Zalgo. “What am I becoming?! A demon?”

Zalgo turned to face her and chuckled. “I can’t tell yet.” He said walking closer and carefully touching the protruding bones. “Although you’re developing wings of some kind. Or maybe extra arms~”

“Stop!” Mara quickly scrambled away from the demon and got to her feet. “I’ve heard enough! Once this is over I’m going to live my life as a human!”

At that moment she didn’t want to hear anything else from the cunning CP and darted back to the mansion, tears of frustration now gathering in her eyes. She had to tell Slender about this! About everything! The council, Locklear, Zalgo, just everything that was causing her such confusion and pain. Her throat began to itch for relief and without much option she sobbed out. “S-Slenderman!”

No more than two minutes and the tall CP himself was in front of her, catching her around the waist to slow her down. He knelt down and Mara instantly hugged him, causing him to freeze. “Mara? What is it child?”

Mara couldn’t find where to begin and whimpered. “M-my mind...read since y-yesterday..”

Slender gently put a hand on her head and despite the tugging feeling it was giving her Mara felt safe. She waited patiently and her tears began to slow down, giving her a chance to get her voice back for whatever he was going to say. As his hand pulled away she heard a low demonic growl, and his flesh began to tear to reveal his mouth. “Zalgo will pay for this..I will speak to the council as well.”

“I won’t really become a CP right?” Mara desperately tugged on the sleeve of his shirt. “Please tell me the CP’s are ready to fight!”

“Fight yes, but they’re still learning defense and stealth for the raised security systems and people that can defend themselves.” Slender replied. “Mara, every day you’ll change, for now you need to focus on how you’re going to hide it.”

“I..I just don’t understand..why did Zalgo do this? Surely it just isn’t only to eat my soul.” Mara asked.

“No..this is always Zalgo’s play. He gives humans what they want for a couple times before he claims them and either kills them or make them into slaves. But he also likes chaos. His plan is probably trying to make you crack and choose one side or the other.”

“And either side I choose he wins..” Mara sighed, letting go of Slender. “Son of a bitch..”

“You don’t have to let this rule your life. What you do is your choice, no matter what happens. I’ll try to get the CP’s ready soon, I’m not sure how long it’ll take until you’re fully turned.” Slender encouraged, standing up tall. “Head to the mansion...I need to see the council.”

Mara nodded, but her body felt numb to the warm sun that lit up the forest. As she started walking back she tried to think only about the work she had to do. Her body ached but she knew Slender was right, she wouldn’t become a CP if she didn’t want it. She can get through this just fine as long as she hid it, which wouldn’t be easy in summer, but she was willing to try. Thankfully, as she entered the mansion most of the CP’s were gone or probably asleep, giving her time to hide in her room and collapse on her bed.

In the meantime Slender was standing in the center of the Council Hall. Slender had presented with Zalgo’s curse and the council muttered to themselves while Locklear came into view. “I’m sorry Slender but there’s nothing we can do. Since you and Zalgo have a truce to share the woods until the genocide she’s anyone’s game.”

“Mara only accepted to help us, not be a part of the CP’s!” Slender argued.

“But is it also true that Mara has expressed feelings for a CP?” One of the elders called out from his seat. “You know humans can not be with CP’s”

“Besides!” A shrill voice added. “Since last night, we’ve spoken about Mara. She would be handy as a CP of both you and Zalgo! She’s intelligent, sees both sides, and is a force to be reckoned with.”

“She’s not a force to be reckoned with!” A darker toned voice snapped. “She’s only a smart ass because she thinks she knows what’s right..But besides that she does have good planning.”

“None of this would be possible if she wasn’t a human!” Slender interjected. “You’ll be forcing her out of her life! And you know she won’t kill humans!”

“Is that so Slender?” Zalgo’s voice sneered as he stepped out of a red portal. “If I recall isn’t that what she’s doing now? Assisting in the death of criminals? Perhaps she just doesn’t know how much she likes to kill yet~”

Slender’s mouth opened as he hissed and his demonic voice thundered. “Zalgo you will release her from this curse! If she becomes a CP she’ll never be happy. Even staying human you can’t take the right of her love or children away from her! If she has children, it's possible for her to have more kids with her ideals of the CPs.”

“Having a human that knows us would help..” A calmer member of the council muttered. “If there’s a human line connection we could keep up with the human activities.”

“NO!” A woman’s voice boomed. “If we do that there also could be a line of traitors that would turn us in! It’s too risky!”

“I may have a solution~” Locklear said, clapping his hands to get everyone’s attention. “What about this..Zalgo if you alter the contract she could still have children but the child could be CP based.”

“WHAT?!” Slender hissed out, wrapping tendrils tightly around Locklear's legs and waist. “She couldn’t live with a child and no father or lover support! And a CP child is only a myth! A failed experiment!”

Locklear only chuckled and tapped the tendrils around his waist. “let go please, and hear me out.”

Slender begrudgingly let go and stepped away, growling as Zalgo snickered behind his hand. Locklear nodded before continuing. “right..So, if she was to stay human she could carry a CP child, and with the child in her possession she would still be pure so when she died Zalgo can have her soul. However, her child can live their life and still be connected to us, thus getting rid of any suspicion of them being a traitor.”

“It’s possible..” A council member sounded. “But there is still the complication of the CP child. It’s never been tested...mainly because the CP’s can’t reproduce.”

“Two immortal souls couldn’t, but perhaps one alive soul and an immortal one can.” another suggested.

Locklear nodded. “Correct, and even if she becomes a CP she could work for Slender and Zalgo, to which the council can help prepare a contract for her duties.”

Slender didn’t like the plan, he would rather have her freed from any ties to the CP’s, but he knew Zalgo’s curses were not reversible. He sighed and his mouth began sealing up to the pale face. “Is there nothing I can do to convince you to separate her from the CP’s?” 

Locklear looked to the legend before him and shook his head. “Slender it is practically unanimous that she should be part of the CP life. If not working for us, at least working alongside us.” 

Zalgo gave a smug grin to Slender. “See? I helped.”

“For what you did I’ll make sure you never come near my family again..” Slender hissed before bowing to the council members and Locklear. “I will speak with her later.”

As soon as Slender teleported from the hall, Zalgo tilted his head at Locklear. “I’ll be fucking honest I thought you were going to make me remove the curse.”

“We debated it, saying that she as a human had no place with us. But then we realized she’s been connected to us for many years and now is providing us help to be remembered. If she were to produce offspring for the CP’s and still have the human upbringing, we could have an advantage to never be forgotten again.”

Zalgo shrugged. “But you said it yourself, it’s not a proven fact. Then what?”

“If she can’t produce a CP blooded child then it will go back to the original contact. Either living as a human with no CP ties or a CP that has no human ties. It’s not an easy choice but she will choose what she wants.” Locklear clarified. “Now go Zalgo, your people will need you as well.”

Zalgo bowed before vanishing through his portal and the mutters of the council started up again. “Do you think she’ll choose human or CP?”

“Whatever she chooses we’ll have an advantage.”

Locklear cupped his chin and muttered. “Or a failure..”

June 28th, Friday, 10am. Mara had Lorien hugging her neck as Slender explained the situation to her. Lorien kept trying to comfort her with light purrs and nuzzling her neck, but Mara felt trapped. “So that’s it then? I have to choose one or the other?”

“I’m afraid so..I’m sorry Mara-”

“Don’t.” Mara interrupted. “I signed up for this, I got tricked by Zalgo..I guess it’s not the end of the world..Hell, as a human I would still have a child of some kind. If this experiment fails Zalgo didn’t say I couldn’t adopt.”

“You’re taking this calmly.” Slender pointed out.

“I’m being realistic..If I lose sight of what’s reality and kick up a fuss I’ll never be happy..” Mara sighed, petting Lorien gently. “I’ll..still need time though. I need to get ready for what’s to come.”

“Do you want me to inform the others?” Slender questioned.

“Yes please, it’s better they know what’s happening to me, but make sure no fights break out between Zalgo’s people and yours. It’s all Zalgo’s doing so no one else is to blame..” Mara frowned and looked down at her sheets. “If I had noticed sooner-”

“Zalgo is a demon Mara, one way or another, he would have marked you..” Slender rubbed his head. “I know you don’t believe it was my fault but I should’ve been more watchful over you. Protecting you.”

“Slender you have too many CP’s to watch to focus on one human, don’t beat yourself up.” Mara comforted, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Just focus on them, I’ll get through this.”

Slender nodded. “I’ll keep training the CP’s. I know you have work today so don’t worry about saying hi to anyone when you get back.”

Mara gave a small smile of thanks and he left the room, leaving Mara to collect herself mentally for work. Lorien flew up from her neck and chirped at her. “Love! Love!”

Mara giggled softly and cupped him in her hands. “I love you too bud..we’ll work this out..and..if you want you can stay with me, even if I stay human.”

Said dream demon began to let out small shrieks of joy and flew around the room, making Mara chuckle and get up. “But for now I need to get ready for work. It’s going to be a long day.”

Without anymore hesitation Mara got ready, having to wear a jacket to cover the odd appendages ready to tear out of her back. And although being afraid, she was ready for what the CP’s were going to dish out next.


	23. Please Send Tell

Lorien was feeling cuddly and hyper since the morning so Mara brought him into work to let him fly around so long as he didn’t let anyone see him. Not that it would matter for a bunch of drunks and dancers. Despite all that had hit Mara in the last few hours, the night was rocking with good music and good customers. And she was helping some of the newbies so it made the hours roll by. 

“Miss another round!”

“On it!” Mara called out before grabbing some glasses and sliding them down to the group.

Glancing up for a moment she suppressed a giggle seeing Lorien flying around in the multicolored lamps and no one even noticing him. Sighing she moved a hand slowly to her back and gently felt the bones, flinching away for a moment at the sensitivity. The idea of wings sounded cool but that was more of a childish fantasy, this was real life and she needed to stay human. For a moment her hand stopped cleaning the glasses in front of her, but she quickly shook it off and went to serve the next customer.

“Hey Mara, isn’t that Jacob?” Sam called out.

Mara blinked and looked over the sea of people before seeing Jacob sitting at one of the tables. “Yeah, that’s him..why is he here..?”

“Want to take a break?” Sam smirked. 

Mara rolled her eyes but got out from behind the counter, but as she walked passed people she froze up seeing another person sitting across from Jacob. “L-lou! Jacob! What’s um..what’s going on?”

Both boys turned to her, but with Lou’s mask on it made it hard to tell if he was actually looking at her. Jacob smiled and pulled out a chair for Mara. “Mara, your friend here caught me and well..we were just talking.”

“Right..” Lou hissed then looked to Mara. “I heard you were dating Jacob.”

“Lou..” Mara sighed and sat. “we went on one date but..I think the both of us want to take it slow since you and I..broke up.”

Lou seemed surprised but Mara stared at him with an expression of “play along”, and he nodded. “I see..I um..sorry.”

“It’s good to see you care about her.” Jacob commented. “I’m not surprised she dated you first.”

“You’re not?” Both Mara and Lou asked, sitting up in their chairs.

“Not at all, Mara has told me about her more fun side and Lou you were an ex-gang member. A little adventure in dating does not hurt.” Jacob elaborated. “But do forgive me for saying this Lou..you seem possessive.”

Mara could tell, Jacob was trying to see why they “dated” in the first place. She was about to speak for him but Lou set a hand on her shoulder. “Well yeah, I’ve had my heart broken before. I’m scared of it happening again. But Mara is fucking awesome so I couldn’t get mad at her.”

“I see, she definitely is a rare gem.” Jacob chuckled and Mara’s face flushed cherry red.

“Guys I’m seriously right here..Look not that I don’t care about you two, but why are you both here?” Mara asked, leaning back.

“I only came to talk to you about..My father's council.” Lou said carefully, obviously making it up just now.

“And I came just to say hi and check up on you. Is your father still giving you a hard time?” Jacob asked calmly, keeping his voice quiet from nearby customers.

“Yes Jacob, my parents are being a pain but I can handle it.” Mara smiled. “Thanks for asking.”

“He doesn’t seem like the one to take things over board though.” Jacob returned.

“You don’t know him that well, he takes things over the top all the time.” Mara rolled her eyes before looking at Lou. “what’s this about..your father?”

“He um..” Lou stopped to think for a second. “He wanted me to check on you and about what the council said to you he’s just...he’s sorry it happened.”

“Who’s council?” Jacob asked, looking to them.

“Um..part of the gang.” Mara filled in. “When I was dating Lou the gang was against it heavily, even though he wasn’t part of the gang anymore.”

Lou was agitated that he had to lie about something serious and growled at Jacob. “Look it’s got nothing to do with you, you have no idea what they put her through.”

“Mara you said they didn’t hurt you.” Jacob quickly looked to her and concern reflected in his eyes.

“They didn’t!” Mara squeaked. “They were just overly rude and old fashioned. But i’m not hurt.” 

Mara looked to Lou with a small glare and he sighed. “Anyways. My father sent me to make sure you were ok. and..I was also worried about you. I wanted to make sure you were taking it well..”

Mara’s glare melted to a soft expression, reaching her hand out and Lou took it. “I’m alright Lou. I just need to work past it.”

Jacob wasn’t an idiot, he could practically see Mara glowing from just looking at this guy. He was a fair man, and he knew when he was beat. “Mara, could I speak to you privately for a moment?”

Lou’s hand tightened around hers for a split second but Mara stood and pulled her hand away. “I’ll be right back Lou.”

Jacob helped guide her through the crowd to get outside and looked around before starting. “You really love him don’t you.”

Mara flinched, he wasn’t asking, he was stating it. “Well..yes but it couldn’t happen. The gang members are protective of their group-”

“And why should that stop you?” Jacob cut in with a smile. “As I recall, on our date you said nothing could stop you from getting what you want most. And at the time it was Forensics. But what about now?”

Mara frowned and played a bit with her hair. “i..I don’t know anymore..It’s so confusing. I want to accomplish my dreams and make my parents proud and the world better but..I also really want Lou by my side.”

“I’m not trying to push you Mara. I just think as a friend, you need to choose.” Jacob said, hugging her close. “If you go with him your family may be upset, but you’ll have the man you wish to be with. But if you stay here you may not find someone like him again.”

Mara rested her head on his shoulder and sighed. “I just..I don’t want to seem ungrateful if I choose him. My parents shouldn’t have to live thinking they did something wrong.”

“That’s understandable, but you’re an adult.” Jacob chuckled. “And as much as we hate it, we all grow up.”

Mara’s lips tugged up into a small smile. “I’m sorry Jacob..I know I must’ve lead you on..”

“Don’t worry about it Mara. I don’t think I can compare to Lou anyways.” Jacob replied, looking down at Mara. “Clearly your type is more wild and dangerous rather than calm and collected.”

Mara giggled and looked up at him. “Maybe..but I hope we can still be friends.”

“I already said that I am your friend.” Jacob let go of her and gave her a soft peck on the head. “But please do call out me and your friends for another get together. They seem like good people.”

“I will, goodnight Jacob.” Mara said before she went back inside and Jacob started walking to his car.

Lou was tapping his fingers absentmindedly on the table and Lorien joined him after Mara left. The little demon curled around his hand and the small lamp that was set up on the table, of course hissing away at the light. He sat up right when Mara returned and tilted his head. “What are you so happy about?”

“I’m just glad Jacob and I are friends.” Mara stated simply.

“So..nothing is going on?” Lou asked quietly, his fingers stopping and Lorien curled around his hand.

“No Lou.” Mara sighed. “I get that you’re worried but really he’s just-”

Mara froze for a second before darting her hands to cover Lorien and Lou’s hand and she giggled. “God Lou you don’t need to be worried!”

Lou looked at her in confusion and Lorien was trying to escape from Mara’s hold. But he quickly saw Sam and relaxed a bit, playing along. “Hey I just want to make sure you’re set.”

Sam smiled at the two and looked to Mara. “Sorry Mara but we need you back at the counter. I can give you another break later.”

“Got it Sam.” Mara nodded and as Sam stepped away she let out a long exhale and uncovered Lorien. “That was close..”

Lou chuckled and leaned over the table. “That was quite the performance. How long do you work for?”

“Hard to tell.” Mara shrugged. “We have new guys but since it’s Friday I’m not sure if I’m getting off early or around 1am. Speaking of, aren’t you tired? It’s about 10pm.”

“I normally get up at 9:30pm.” Lou replied and stood up. “Come on, I’ll sit at the bar until your shift is over.”

“Lou you don’t have too-” Mara said while standing up, Lorien flying to her neck before hugging it.

“I want to. Plus, a few drinks can’t hurt me.” Lou shrugged and started walking to the bar.

Mara giggled to herself and walked behind the counter to help serve drinks, and every now and then stopped by to check on Lou. Even if he seemed mellow now she had no idea what would set him off. Lorien eventually slipped away from her neck and was playing around the bottles on the counter, making sure not to let the employees see him. However he stopped at one fancy stained glass bottle and curled around it, trying to open the top. Managing to pop the top off he ducked his head in and licked at the clear drink, and loving the burning and spicy flavor he continued to drink it.

One of the newer waiters, Nick, grabbed the bottle without looking and startled Lorien to slip inside the bottle. Lorien’s eyes glowed as he watched the man carry the bottle to the bar and ducked to the bottom of the glass when it tilted and steadily poured into a small shot glass. “Here you go sir, but be careful with this one, it’s quite strong.”

“I got it kid.” The man said, quickly drinking the shot.

Lorien saw his chance to get out when the bottle was set down and carefully crawled out of the bottle, his body jolting with every hiccup he let out, which sounded more of a squeak to the human ears. “God damn it kid what was in this!”

“I-it’s a stronger drink from mi-sir please calm down!” The waiter said as the man tried to reach over the counter.

Lorien noticed the fear in the kid’s eyes and glared at the larger man, flying up he bit the man’s hand making him reel back. “It’s a rat!”

The drunk man carelessly flicked his hand around to get him off, and did manage to flick Lorien off, who then took to the air. Hiccuping and flying with panic Lorien found Mara and slipped under her hair, squeaking. Mara blinked but before even asking what had Lorien so spooked she ran over to the drunk man that was yelling at Nick. “Nick, go to the back I’ll talk to him.”

Nick nodded hesitantly and slipped into the back room to check the barrels. Mara looked to the older man and crossed her arms. “Sir what is the problem?”

“The drink that brat served tasted like shit! And you also have a rat problem!” He shouted, leaning over the counter.

It was hard to not shove his disgusting face away and Mara took a quick breath off to the side before replying. “Sir, if you’re going to behave like this I’ll have to ask you to leave. But you need to pay your tab.”

“Like hell! I’m not paying for that!” He snarled at her.

“Very well..we’ll just contact the police then.” Mara threatened and grabbed her phone, but as she did he reached over and grabbed her arm. 

“Fucking put it down bitch.”

Mara felt something snap inside her, and grinned at the man before calling out. “Sam, call the cops please.”

Sam was helping Lou with a drink and both glanced over before Sam chuckled. “Will do! Kick his ass!”

Mara leapt onto the counter and shoved the guy back, making him stumbled to the ground and she ripped her arm free from his grasp. Hopping off the counter she grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and started manhandling him to the front door. Lou watched in surprise and looked at Sam, asking once Sam put his phone down. “Does this happen a lot?”

“Eh..a full fight? No. But we do have people we have to kick out every week. She’s just helping him to the door and the police will take him in to custody.”

“For what exactly?” Lou asked, he never paid attention to human laws before.

“Assaulting a worker, not paying his tab. It’s so great how our justice system works.” Sam chuckled. “You know Lou, what Mara has told us I was expecting you to be a total ass, but you’re pretty cool.”

“Uh...thanks.” Lou muttered. If he knew what he did for a living Sam would turn a whole 360 on that opinion.

Mara waited outside, having to twist the man’s arms behind his back because of how much he was squirming. As the police arrive she quickly gave her statement before going inside and heading to the back. “Nick you can come out now, the guy is gone.”

Nick walked over, setting down one of the cases of beer. “Mara I’m sorry, I didn’t know what to do!”

“It’s alright Nick. If something happens like this again just warn Sam or myself, but what was he so mad over anyways?”

“S-something about the Mississippi’s Tears drink. I brought the bottle back so you could look.” Nick said handing her the stained glass bottle.

“Alright, thanks Nick, go ahead back to the counter.” Mara smiled and as he left she looked at the bottle. “Huh..if he only served one shot it shouldn’t be this low..”

Just then Lorien flew to the bottle and poked his head in and started drinking strong alcohol. Mara quickly plucked him away and gasped. “Lorien! You shouldn’t be drinking this..no wonder the customer kicked up a fuss..your demon saliva must’ve made it taste weird..”

Mara set him on a barrel and took a sip from the drink, gagging instantly. “Jesus Lorien! How the hell did you make a spicy drink taste so bitter?!”

Mara didn’t like drinking but it helped to know what everything tasted like so she could give recommendations to customers. Sighing she picked up the drunk demon and poured the rest of the drink out before putting the glass aside. “I’m sure someone could still use it as a lamp..”

Walking out to the front Lou caught her attention and she handed Lorien to him. “Please keep him in check.”

“Is..is he drunk?” Lou asked as Lorien flew in small circles around his arm. He carefully cupped the demon in his hands and looked at Mara.

“Yeah..I didn’t think demons could get drunk but look at me being wrong.”

“I’ll watch him, and I have to admit, it was pretty hot seeing you handle that guy.” Lou smirked, lifting his mask up for a moment.

Mara blushed and smirked. “You’ll have to come by every Friday then, that’s when we get the most fights.”

“We’ll see about that.” Lou shrugged and lowered his mask. “Slender told us about what happened..So many people are ready to rip Zalgo’s head off.”

“I know..I wish it didn’t happen..” Mara frowned and Loud took her hand, using the other to hold Lorien at bay.

“How is..the process going?” Lou asked quietly.

“It hurts..but there’s nothing I can do. I’m really scared for what will happen at the next sunrise..” Mara admitted. 

“If you want..I could stay with you for the next sunrise.” Lou offered.

“I would like that.” Mara smiled and leaned over, resting her forehead against his. “Thanks Lou.”

“Anytime, now get to work, you still have to earn money.” Lou chuckled.

“Not really, at this point I’m living with you guys and eating your shit.” Mara giggled then groaned. “Shit, I probably will have so much cleaning to do when I move back..”

Lou only smiled and watched as she went back to work, Lorien squealed loudly in his hand and he glared at the demon. “No more trouble for you tonight pal, you’re staying in my hand.”

The night went along pretty fast and by 1am Sam gave Mara the all clear to leave. Once her Mara and Lou left the building he let go of Lorien to let the demon rest on Mara’s head. “He’s all tuckered out now huh?”

“He kept trying to bite my hand. There was no doubt he was going to crash eventually.” Lou shrugged, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

“That’s true..Lou, how do CP’s become..what they are?” Mara asked, looking at him with a downcast expression.

“Well, it’s not always a physical change. Look at Sally, she’s bloody but she didn’t grow claws or have a replaced eye. And same with some of the proxies. They didn’t change appearance they only lost their minds. Changing into a CP is more of changing yourself to serve the CPs.” Lou tried to explain, but he didn’t know how else to put it.

“Ok so..does me growing appendages help in some way?” Mara asked, subconsciously moving an arm to touch the bumps on her back.

“Maybe..it could help you fly around to hunt or maybe help you grab things.” Lou grumbled. “This is ridiculous though, you don’t want to kill people.”

“I know!” Mara huffed. “Sure, maybe I’ve thought about hurting criminals or sending them to a psych hospital but never killing unless someone was in danger!”

Lou stopped for a moment before grabbing her arm. “That must be it, however you’re changing must help you protect people.”

“Lou this isn’t a good thing!” Mara snatched her arm back and stomped through the forest. “I’m human! I need to stay human! I’m no help to the CP’s if I become one!”

“That’s a bunch of bullshit Mara and you know it!” Lou growled and followed her. “You could be a great proxy!”

“Oh being a servant and look like a freak? No thanks!” Mara scoffed. “Lou I can’t it’s not right! I’m no judge in life! I can’t just go around killing who I think should die!”

“Why the fuck not Mara?” Lou called, grabbing her arm again and forcing her to look at him. “You give everyone a fair chance, even when going through your list you saw some of those people who deserve to live and be better, you’re the perfect choice for that kind of decision!”

“But I’m not a god Lou!” Mara cried out, her eyes tearing up as she struggled to get out of his grasp. “Maybe I don’t want to lose my sanity! Maybe I don’t want to c-change!”

Lou let her wear herself out as he held her close to him, letting her sob in his chest. “Mara..just because your appearance is changing doesn’t mean you have to change your point of view..and no matter what, I’m going to be there.”

Mara continued to let out quiet sobs and Lou carefully picked her up, bringing her to the mansion. He didn’t let anyone see them as he quickly took Mara to her room, setting her on the bed and laying with her. “Are you feeling any better?”

“No..really i’m glad you care Lou but..I don’t know what to do..I..” Mara sniffed as she cuddled to his side.

“Mara, stop thinking of the outside. Cancel everything out, work, school, and home. What do you want?” Lou asked, moving onto his side to look at her.

Mara looked at him before taking his hand and muttering softly. “I want to be with you..I want to be here..but..I don’t want to be a killer..I don’t want to change into a monster..”

“All CP looks reflect how the CP was made or grown. Knowing you Mara, you’ll probably have angel wings and a halo.” Lou said, taking off his mask and holding her hand in return.

“Heh...maybe..” Mara shrugged.

“And no one here will judge you for looks. We have buck nude monsters and people with bloody breath all day.” Lou joked, making Mara giggle softly.

“Yeah..thanks Lou..” Mara smiled at him, pecking his lips before cuddling to him again.

A light blush crossed over his cheeks but he held her close and watched as Lorien hiccuped and purred, curling up into Mara’s hair. With Mara and Lorien ready to sleep, Lou just laid there and began to think to himself. It’s not that he wanted to trap her here, but he wanted to be with her. She earned the right to be a CP but her human life was holding her back. On one hand he wanted to kill her family, but on the other if he did she would never forgive him. Even if that managed to make her stay with him, she would only hate him and be a vengeful CP, ultimately destroying who she was.

Dr.Smiley had done his own experiments of making a CP, but all failed or were broken too much to the point of just being shells. He had told everyone that forcing someone to be a CP was impossible, but Zalgo could make them into a form of CP. Zalgo’s powers were always a mystery, but the way he can force an inner demon or CP out from someone was one that everyone knew. But most of his victims die before they were completely transformed due to suicide or the sear pain from the transformation. Lou grumbled to himself and forced the negative thoughts away, closing his eyes and holding Mara against him.

By the next morning, Mara awoke to a ripping and scorching pain in her body, causing her to scream and both Lorien and Lou snapped awake. Mara shoved herself away from Lou to get up but only found herself on her hands and knees, gripping the sheets as a warm liquid coated her back. “L-lou!”

“I got you, hold on!” Lou said, taking off his hoodie and wrapping it around her body, trying to pacify the bleeding. “Mara you need to breathe!”

Mara did her best to focus on nothing else but her choppy breathing. The feeling of her torn flesh made her sob hysterically and she watched the clock to keep time of her breathing. But she could feel her vision and consciousness fading fast. “Lou! Make it stop!”

Lou heard knocking at the door but ignored it while he pressed the hoodie firmly to her back, making her lay on her stomach. “Mara just hold on a few more seconds.”

Lorien flew over to the door and opened it, letting Jeff and the proxies in. Jeff saw all the blood staining into the sheets and yelled out. “Fuck is she transforming again!?”

“Jeff get over here-”

“Holy fuck, Mara keep your eyes open!”

“Mara! Stay awake! Fight it!”

“Get Dr.Smiley!”


	24. The Rouge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Hey everyone! So I need to explain this, G.R.A.E is a CP! His creator vyndicare. And then Bleeding man, lulu, Mr.Smiley, and Rodger/Shadow walker belong to chibi-works. They are oc’s but they were done incredibly well and I love the way they were done)

Jeff watched EJ and Dr.Smiley tending to Mara’s back. They kept her upstairs in her room just in case something internal changed as well. Ben stood by nervously and looked away from the bloody mess. “Damn..I haven’t seen anything that gory since Nightmare on Elm’s Street.”

“I think IT would be a more appropriate comparison..” Lou grumbled, leaning on the wall.

“Poor Mara..” Nina whimpered, trying to look in the room but Jeff put an arm out to keep her back. She looked at him sorrowfully and Jeff sighed, patting her head. “This is all Zalgo’s fault..”

“We can’t do anything about it.” Jeff growled. “It’s fucking stupid and I want to cut off Zalgo’s horns and stuff them up his ass, but I can’t.”

EJ stepped out of the room and Ben was the first to ask. “Is she ok? What happened?”

“She got lucky, if she didn’t have anything stopping the bleeding she might be dead.” EJ said, looking at Lou for a brief second. “The bones in her back stretched out into wings, and also ripped open her back in the process.”

“She has wings?” Nina asked, tilting her head to look at Mara.

“Sort of, they don’t have all the feathers yet so we can’t tell what wings they are other than just a bird.” EJ shrugged. “She’s resting now so Dr.Smiley said it’s important for us to keep an eye on her and her phone.”

“Her phone?” Lou asked with disbelief. “Her back was torn and we have to worry about her phone!?”

EJ glared at him. “In case her parents or friends call.”

“I’ll take care of that.” Ben claimed. “I can figure out texting and call patterns. Does anyone know if she works today?”

“It’s Saturday so I don’t think so.” Jeff said and huffed. “We got to go back to fucking training..”

“Jeff is right.” Dr.Smiley said as he exited Mara’s room. “Everyone back to training, Ben you go ahead and stay with Mara just in case and have her phone by you.”

Ben nodded and walked into the room, getting comfortable on the pile of blankets that was set out for Lorien and said demon was laying with Mara, too afraid to leave her side. EJ informed Ben that the moment she woke up Ben had to call him or Dr.Smiley. Slowly the CP’s dispersed and Jeff began walking downstairs, bumping into Tender along the way, who was holding blankets and pillows.

“Oh! Jeffrey, is Mara still out?” Tender asked softly. “I was going to get her some blankets and bring up food for Lorien later.”

Jeff huffed. “I’ll get stuff for Lorien later, just take the blankets and shut up.”

“Alright, get to training, Slender is trying to keep everyone under control. You know..Zalgo and the SCP’s.” Tender explained and teleported upstairs.

Jeff went outside and despite it being early morning, everyone was fighting or practicing stealth in the forest. He wasn’t a fan with working as a team but it was fun beating the other CP’s at wrestling, knife fights, tests in dexterity, and speed. For a moment he gazed around at the CP’s for someone to brawl with but noticed two CP’s fighting tooth and nail for their victory. It was the Bleeding Man and Candypop, to which the Bleeding Man was swinging his axe at the jumping clown. 

“We could’ve done this without her.” Bleeding man huffed, stopping for a moment to take out a cigarette from his pocket and lighting it.

“She’s a very important person to this family.” Candy pop responded, walking over with a sour look on his face. “Can you stop smoking every 15 minutes?”

The man blew out some smoke from his lips and cut the axe into the ground before brushing some blood away from his eye. “I like smoking..Besides, Mara is only human. Becoming a CP means nothing if she won’t kill for it.”

Jeff’s blood boiled in his veins as he marched over. “Mara at least gives a damn about us! She could let you and Zalgo’s people fade but she invited you guys here!”

“And she should’ve left us out of it. She’s in over her head.” He replied with a puff of smoke.

“Alex how about you shut up before I rip out your tongue?” Candypop grinned menacingly as he moved his hands behind him to hold himself back.

Alex didn’t say anything before looking at Jeff. “Jeff, you’re close to Mara correct? Can we talk?”

Candypop looked ready to throw this guy to the moon but Jeff gave him a quick glare. “Candypop, go train. I got this.”

The neon clown was ready to protest but nodded, walking away to join Anna in a fight. Jeff turned to Alex, who started walking to the side of the manor, away from the others. As they get to the back of the mansion, Alex had already finished half of his cigarette and leaned his back on the wall. Jeff sat on the grass, not bothering to look at him as he waited to hear him out. After a couple minutes, Alex dropped the cigarette and stepped on it, sighing. “I respect her..But she’s not going to make this jump very well.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Jeff growled. “Don’t do the stupid cryptic shit on me.”

“Alright...I think she’s going to burn out and get herself killed.” Alex admitted. “I think with the mix of human and CP life she won't be able to keep up and will internally be destroyed by her choices and physical transformation.”

“She’ll be alright.” Jeff scoffed. “She’s tougher than you think...how come you’re concerned?”

“I honestly don’t give a shit.” Alex shut down quickly, taking out another cigarette and his lighter. “but..Lulu does..”

~Flashback~

Alex had finished making a sandwich for himself and was about to eat but Lulu came bounding over. “Alex! Have you met Mara?”

He huffed and shrugged. “No, why..?”

“You should! She’s really nice.” Lulu smiled, her hair was braided and she held up the braid. “She even braided my hair for me!”

“It looks good..” He replied monotoned, picking up his sandwich for a bite.

“Alex, I know you don’t like socializing but please try with Mara.” She pleaded softly. “She’s really friendly and understanding of the more..unknown CP’s. She’s even friends with Shadow walker now!”

“He’s friends with a lot of people.” Alex sighed, setting down his sandwich.

“And! She invited Mr.Smiley out for a drink. Mr.Smiley denied but then they started talking about glass and wood works.” Lulu pushed.

“Lulu..there is no point in me meeting her.” Alex replied firmly, now looking at her. “Why are you trying to push this on me?”

“Because she can be a new friend.” Lulu smiled. “She’s becoming more like a CP I hear. Not..in the murder way..but she’s trying to help us and rumors are spreading that she’ll stay. Isn’t that great?”

~Present time~

“When did these rumors start?” Jeff asked, looking at Alex. “It was before she started changing right?”

“Yeah..this was after their girls night a few days ago.” Alex replied, lightly knocking some ash off his cigarette.

“Great...well i’m sure Mara would be happy so many CP’s are liking her..” Jeff groaned as he ran his hand through his hair. “I’m guessing you haven’t spoken to her right? You’re too reserved for that..”

“No I have..Briefly..” Alex said, his eyes glazed over. “She’s..interesting.”

~FlashBack~

“Damn it Alex! Could you at least stop dripping blood everywhere?!” Masky shouted from behind the bleeding man.

Alex didn’t look back but called out. “No, since I have hemophilia. Get over it dog.”

“Dog!?” Masky shouted, about to run over to the guy but Hoodie grabbed his arm and dragged him into the security room. 

Alex rolled his eyes and stepped outside, glancing at Mara who was sitting on the wooden porch bench. She was only smiling and watching the distant trees, a little black demon flying around the porch, occasionally bringing a flower or two back for Mara. Alex said nothing but watched her, but Mara caught on fast that someone was next to her and looked over at him with a smile. “Hello Bleeding Man.”

He said nothing and Mara got a little worried if she offended him in a way, but she just scooted over on the bench. “Want to sit? It’s a cool night.”

He shrugged and sat down, watching in curiosity when the demon flew back with petals from a white flower. Mara praised softly, cupping her hands together and open for the demon to drop them in. “Good boy, can you try to find me some red petals?”

The demon shrilled and flew off quickly, vanishing into the forests. Alex took out a cigarette and glanced at Mara. “you’re awful friendly to a demon..what’s the petals for?”

“Oh, Lorien just likes doing tasks.” Mara brushed off. “I needed some air and he needed something to do.”

Alex nodded and opened his lighter. “Mind if I smoke?”

“Go ahead, you’re not gonna die from it.”

There was a mild joke in her words which actually caught him off guard, but he lit his cigarette and took a long drag from it. “so..Lulu said you and Mr.Smiley..and Rodger are friends?”

Mara looked at him and her lips made a pout as she thought. “Kind of? Rodger is very sweet and easy to talk to, but Mr.Smiley is a different story. I think it’s too soon to call us friends.”

“You..like them though?”

“Of course..” Mara’s voice softened. “You all suffered differently and I’m..I really enjoy hearing everyone’s stories and perspectives. I want to help you guys.”

“Hey Alex! Want to go hunting?” Shadow walker yelled from the forest, waving to him. “Oh, hi Mara! Want to join!?”

Mara giggled and shouted back. “Can’t Rodger I have work tomorrow!”

Alex stood up, setting his hands in his pockets and walking towards Shadow walker. But before they disappeared for their ‘hunt’ he glanced back to see Lorien nuzzling Mara’s cheek with affection and she was laughing. 

~Present time~ 

“She respects boundaries but isn’t afraid to be who she is..” Alex finished, stubbing the second cigarette to the ground. “If you care for her, you should have not allowed her here in the first place.”

Jeff stood up and snarled. “She makes he own fucking choices! She wouldn’t stop for anything, especially not now. Not when we’re so close-”

“The CP’s are close.” Alex interrupted, glaring at Jeff. “but how long does she have?”

Jeff froze up by that question. Yes, he knew the toll the transformation had on her, but he didn’t think about the deal..how long did she have? Being a full CP or human? The transformation can accelerate or slow at random. Alex sighed and muttered. “Jeff, you were human once. You underestimated your opponents..and look where it got you.”

Jeff wanted to yell at him, but he just let him walk passed while his voice and body remained stilled. Taking a deep breath he rushed into the house in search for LJ, he had an idea, just not a real solution. LJ was easy to find from his intoxication laugh that echoed in the hall, he was in his room messing with a dead kid he probably got last night. “LJ, do you know where G.R.A.E is?”

LJ was cutting into the kid as Jeff asked this, but the shock of who he was asking for caused LJ’s hand to slide a bit and throw his clean cut off. “What-oh fuck! I hit an artery!”

LJ dashed to grab some towels he had set aside and put pressure on the bleeding spot and playfully glared at Jeff. “you have the worst timing in history.”

“You’re one to talk.” Jeff growled. “Do you know where he is or not?”

“Yeah..if I know G.R.A.E, he’s probably in his room or out hunting. You know how he is about keeping records of death.” LJ shrugged.

“Ok, well help me find him.” Jeff commanded and started walking down the halls, searching for G.R.A.E’s room. “Do you remember his past?”

LJ hurried out of the room, after predominantly stuffing the towel into the dead body, then followed after Jeff. “yeah, heavy and dark. Like someone with the world in their hands.”

“Got it..” Jeff replied and continued to walk down the halls, feeling for such a room. 

“Is there a reason we’re going to bother the literal grim reaper?” LJ asked, walking alongside him. “You know he doesn’t stick around long..despite agreeing to the genocide..”

“I need to know if he can help Mara. He’s the last legendary CP I can think of..” Jeff’s voice was taut, but LJ knew he could press more.

“He may be a legendary CP Jeff, but he’s very wise. He’ll probably tell us to stay out of this.” LJ reasoned, only getting a glare from Jeff.

“Mara may die, and I’m not going to sit back and watch that happen.” Jeff grumbled, his pace getting faster.

LJ knew there was no changing his mind so he stayed quiet for a minute before grinning. “It’s been a while since we’ve hung out.”

“Not now LJ.” Jeff snapped, but LJ chuckled at the slight pink on the killers cheeks. They both stopped at one point and Jeff looked to one of the wooden doors. A heavy almost inky smell came from the room, making them get closer. 

“G.R.A.E? You in?” Jeff called out and took the knob, turning it slowly and opening the door to show a dimly lit room. 

It was all black in there, from the bed to the curtains and even the paint on the walls. The only light source was a lamp on the nightstand with a blue shade over it. Hesitantly LJ stepped in first, he knew G.R.A.E was a busy man so he was not comfortable bothering such a powerful CP. Many have warned he could kill a CP with just one swing of his scythe, the one CP besides the council that was given the power to kill a CP, for good. Lyle was his human name, a CP that counted down the minutes to a person's death and toyed with them for their last moments before death took them.

“What are you two doing here?” A deep and gravelly voice called, and they looked to the window, where the CP in question was climbing through.

“Ah! Grae!” LJ said quickly. “Jeff wanted to speak to you about Mara.”

Jeff walked closer, watching the grim reaper CP in his suit, the bandages still wrapped around his mouth and under his bangs that covered his right eye. The left red eye stared at Jeff as the man crossed his arms. Jeff stuffed his hands in his hoodie pocket, feeling his knife instantly made him relax. “Can you help stop Mara’s transformation?”

“No.”

That....was the quickest shut down he’s ever had. “Well..shit Grae what about just talking to Zalgo or the council-”

“No.” He repeated.

Jeff felt annoyed and grit his teeth. “Look here you dressed up pimp-”

LJ rushed over to cover Jeff’s mouth. “Sorry about him Lyle, is there anything you can do or say about Mara to give Jeff some..closure?”

Jeff slapped LJ’s hand away but watched as Grae as the CP cupped his chin, his eye focusing on the floor in though. They watched as he pulled out his pocket watch out from his pocket and opened it, a blue glow illuminating the watch and his face. The tension was killing Jeff and LJ but they let him think and before long G.R.A.E looked up. “Jeff…”

Jeff straightened up and looked straight at him while the red eye returned the gaze. “I cannot control when death occurs for a human..but..”

The killer was practically leaning forward on the balls of his feet as the reaper continued. “Since she is a CP..or will be in CP custody, I am responsible for when she will die..And I can assure you, that won’t happen for many years..”

A gasp of air escaped Jeff’s lips as his whole body relaxed, and he nodded. “Thanks Grae..”

Grae nodded back and LJ said his thanks before they left the room. Once the door closed, LJ slowly started to pat Jeff’s head. “Feel better?”

“Yeah..” Jeff said and took LJ’s hand, looking at the long black claws before intertwining their fingers together. It was moments like these that they rarely shared, even when the did date, small touches or silent affection. LJ smiled and gripped Jeff’s hand in return, saying nothing and moving closer to Jeff. However, the killer caught on and moved his hands over LJ’s lips, both understanding it wasn’t the time or place to be sharing their desire.

As the CP’s finished up their training, the day slipped by quickly and Ben was still in Mara’s room. He was really glad no one tried to text her, but was surprised that the texts were spanned out over days rather than minutes or hours. He knew she wasn’t a social person but still. It wasn’t like he was bored in her room, he had his phone, Nintendo Switch, DS, and took naps when he felt like it. Yet, it creeped him out either way that he was just waiting for Mara to wake up. During his first few minutes of watching her, he looked over the bare skin of her new wings and was fascinated that they weren’t fully grown yet. After an hour, he grew less worried that she’d wake up soon.

There was a knock at the door that caught his attention and he stood up on shaky and sleepy legs, groaning at the sudden rush of blood. “yeah?”

“Ben? Can you let me in?” EJ’s voice called out and Ben smiled softly.

“You have hands idiot just use them.” Ben commented but regardless, he walked over to the door.

“I actually am using them at the moment, I need you to open the door.” EJ grunted, gaining confusion from Ben.

The younger one opened the door and EJ walked in with a box, setting it on the ground immediately and looking over at Mara. “anything yet?”

“Eh..some groans and whines but nothing else.” Ben shrugged, closing the door and looking over EJ’s shoulder. “What you got there?”

“Medicine and just general stuff to help Mara along this process.” EJ yawned. “You’re lucky you didn’t have late training or early wake up..”

Ben smirked and sat next to EJ, moving a hand onto his back and rubbing the knots in the cannibals shoulders and spinal cord. “Well I had a task to do.”

“And good job on you.” EJ groaned a bit. “Shoulders..”

Ben didn’t need to be told and started rubbing his shoulders. “Seriously, you’re the fucking doctor and you can’t even take care of yourself.”

“I do, just not as much lately.” EJ replied and took off his mask. “Slender is planning the genocide on June 30th.”

Ben looked over to Mara’s clock, which read “June 29th 10:23pm, Saturday”, and looked at EJ in surprise. “That’s tomorrow night!”

“Yeah..but we need to do it soon anyways.” EJ said, moving his hands over his shoulders to grab Ben’s hands, tilting his head back as he looked at him. “You’re ready right?”

“Well I’ll need to get a good night’s sleep, but yes..” Ben said, pecking the top of EJ’s head. “And you be careful your killing is more direct than mine.”

“I will Ben. Also the CP’s decided to have some wagers and bets on kill counts. You want in?” EJ asked as he let go and moved to stand up, helping Ben to his feet as well.

“Sure.” Ben grinned. “I can do a little wager on money.”

“Just be sure not to bet everything away.” EJ said playfully. “You’re a good killer but there are others that would trample you in kills.”

“Watch it EJ, I’m still strong enough to send you into hell.” Ben grumbled as he shot a playful glare in return. “So, am I still on Mara watch?”

“No, head off to bed. I’ll watch her for now, I need to observe her next transformation.” EJ said, slipping his mask back on and moving to sit on Mara’s bed, checking over her bandages.

“You think she’ll be alright?” Ben asked, tilting his head slightly.

“She’ll be alright, so long as we are there for her transformations and able to stop anymore excess bleeding.” EJ said and looked at him. “Ben..”

“Yeah yeah, fuck off. I get it.” Ben sighed and walked out, closing the door quietly behind him.

EJ chuckled to himself and looked back at Mara, who has surprisingly stayed put on her stomach since they patched her up that morning. But her expression looked distraught and scared. Lorien crawled out sleepily from his blankets and flew over to EJ, squeaking softly as he sat on the killer’s head. “Hey there Lorien..Lorien? Could you do me a favor?”

Lorien tilted his head and flew down in front of the masked man and listened. “Can you go into Mara’s dreams and wake her at 5:30? That should be plenty of time before sunrise to wake up before the next transformation.”

He nodded and gave a worried shrill, landing on Mara’s blankets and cuddling under her hand, which reflexively flinched but held him comfortably. EJ saw this as a moment to try and catch on some sleep and got off the bed, laying on the floor and taking his mask off. He didn’t know what would happen this next transformation, since the first two were brutal. EJ, for the first time in years, had trouble sleeping.

Mara was lost, trapped, scared, and alone. In her dreams she still had the delusion that she was pure human, no wings, no stumps, nothing changed. But it seemed like an endless void, or more of the same scene of just an endless tunnel of trees. Part of her enjoyed it, but she felt tired and depressed. That was until she saw a large black figure in front of her, and she recognized who it was. “L-lorien?”

His massive form bounded over to her, like a puppy seeing it’s owner and she giggled, wrapping her arms around his head and nuzzling him. “Lorien! Have you come to wake me up? I can’t stand this dream..”

Lorien purred and wrapped his wings around her, embracing her in darkness before she forced her eyes open to see her bed. She yawned and slowly sat up, groaning as she did and gasped at the feeling of something tugging at her back. Before she could look a voice caught her attention. “Ah, good morning Mara.”

Looking to the floor, EJ laid on the floor, his head turned to her. “You gave everyone a scare yesterday morning.”

“E-EJ? Why are you in my room?” Mara asked, pulling the blankets up to cover her chest. “What even changed last time.”

“I’ll show you after your next transformation. We’ve got thirty minutes..I just had to be ready.” EJ stated, motioning his hand over a box of medical supplies. Mara said nothing but nodded, watching the clock with anxiousness as she pet Lorien, hoping to soothe her own nerves.


	25. Power Gaming

They waited, long agonizing minutes before EJ tried to distract her with talk. It worked, but Mara kept glancing at the clock, as if that was going to help prepare her for any pain she feels. When light did hit her window, the two stopped and Mara set Lorien down, ready for whatever would happen next. Her clock finally read “June 30th, Sunday, 6:15am.” Nothing for the moment, as the blue sky peeled away from the golden sun, it was then a sharp pain fueled in her head making her shut her eyes tightly. “E-EJ, m-my head-”

EJ quickly brought her a water bottle and she started guzzling the cold liquid, but as fast as it came, it left and she was surprised there was no pain to her body. “D..did something change?”

She looked up, only to be greeted by a mirror and EJ’s low voice. “Yes..something did change.”

Looking at the mirror she gasped softly, her eyes seemed brighter not the normal violet color, they resemble the amethyst jewel itself. And her eyesight itself seemed like she had 20-20 vision. Her left eye was normally a bit worse than her right but now it was all perfectly clear. “A-anything else?” She muttered out, looking at EJ.

“Well, thankfully your wings didn’t grow larger yet, it’ll be easy to hide them under a coat. But the feathers are starting to pop up.” EJ said bluntly, causing Mara to panic a little and spring out of bed.

She nearly tripped but caught herself and continued running to the nearest bathroom. Slamming the door open she looked at the mirror and shock rippled through her body at the wings she had grown. EJ was right, they weren’t big enough to fly with but did stretch down to her lower back, and small black and brown feathers were covering the pale skin. EJ stood at the door and began to speak.”Now with the feathers and the way your eyes have changed, I think you’re becoming hawk-like. Good vision and a pair of large wings to follow. It’s interesting..a hunting bird.”

As he finished Mara finally got it. Only now did Mara understand Hobo Hearts words. They were a warning. You either join the CP’s or be a servant to the council. She was out of options, those were the only two choices she had left. She stood in front of the mirror and flexed her new wings, gasping out softly as Hobo Heart’s words hit her. “The answer was right in front of me..” She whispered, looking at her eyes that were shining amethyst now. “I was their solution..”

“What?” EJ asked, moving closer to hear her clearly.

“Hobo heart had mentioned to me that the Council would only listen to me if I was their servant or a CP myself..I feel like an idiot..They were going to do this to me one way or another..” Mara voiced out, her words stunned and broken. “I was going to help the CP’s..at a cost.”

EJ sighed and patted her head lightly. “I can’t say I’m surprised..the Council does what it wants without regard for others. But it’s not the worse thing..”

“When is the genocide?” Mara asked, looking up at him.

“Tonight..8pm sharp.” EJ replied. “You need to stay inside tonight.”

Mara said nothing and nodded. “Ok..but I do have work tomorrow..”

EJ nodded and moved away. “You’ll need to go back home, along with bringing Lorien. Slender doesn’t want you to be around for the blood bath or when no one’s at the mansion.”

“Got it..” Mara said and Lorien flew over, curling on top of her head. “Come on Lorien..time to go back home..” 

EJ said nothing as he watched her leave the bathroom and head to her room. She began packing the suitcase of her clothes and personals back up before picking up Lorien’s favorite midnight blue blanket. She looked behind her at the wings, flexing them slowly and feeling the uncomfortable stretch. It would definitely take time getting used to. Then she realized she didn’t have a coat to cover them. Sure, maybe not many people would be up at this time, but there was always morning joggers and people going to work.

She wrapped the blanket around herself and looked at Lorien, who was now settled on her shoulder, holding onto strands of her hair. “Ready bud?”

He let out a mournful shrill and Mara smiled sadly. “I know bud..but we knew this wasn’t going to be forever..”

She finished grabbing what she could and left the mansion, heading to the place she wasn’t sure if she’d call home anymore. She had spent a total of 13 days with the CP’s, and for nine of those days, she lived with them. It was hard to believe in just in that amount of time she’s felt pain, love, betrayal, and sadness beyond her own belief. Those days felt like months, days time being with her human life and the night being for the CP’s. Just thinking back on it, made it harder for her to move forward, and it made her heart clench with anxiety.

Getting back home was hard, and it was harder to even look at the place. It was dusty and she knew some of her food had been rotten or expired. Lorien flew around, even grazing over the table that left a tail of dust behind his body. Mara sighed, glad she had the day off to clean up a bit. She set her stuff aside and started pulling out her cleaning supplies, opening the windows as she passed by them. By now it was around 7 am, and she knew that with the work she’d have to put in she would be stuck inside until 11 or 12.

Just as she was going to start dusting she stopped and pulled out her phone, texting her friends if they were doing anything tomorrow night. Since it was so early, no one would be up of course, but she wanted them to read that as soon as possible. Without much delay she started cleaning, letting Lorien help by taking a small paper towel around the smaller areas to dust. The minutes turned to hours and soon it was 10, and Mara was fairly impressed by how much was already done.

Mara was cleaning her bathroom and when Lorien came in he sneezed instantly at the chemicals that filled the room, making Mara smile. “Hey bud, go ahead and take a break you’ve earned it.”

Lorien nodded and flew to her cleaned couch, laying on one of the pillows while Mara continued to clean. She was tired, her mind has finally realized she only has a couple options now, and she needed to make a choice soon. Everything felt so slow now, the rush of nearly being caught, making new friends, and finding out a bit of herself has finally settled and her mind came to a stop. However, she needed to focus on what was happening right now, staying in a low profile so no one could see her wings.

Just as soon as the bathroom was finished there was a knock at her door and she looked out the side window. Fuck, cops..Taking a deep breath she opened the door and smiled, thankful she had thrown a black sweater over herself to hide the wings. “Hello officer, can I help you?”

“Miss Pierce, I need you to come to the station.”

“O-oh um, of course. Let me get my bag-”

“Please ma'am you need to come now.”

That seemed suspicious..she wondered if Lorien would be ok here..”Can, I at least turn off the lights upstairs so I’m not wasting power?”

He seemed reluctant but nodded and stepped away from her porch. Mara quickly picked Lorien up from the pillow and ran upstairs to grab her phone, stuffing both into her sweater pockets. Then she joined the officer outside and he lead her to his car. Despite the urgency, he allowed her to sit in the passenger seat, but refused to say anything and she didn’t try to make conversation. Once they arrived she followed him to where detective Colin was waiting by the conference room, which she nodded her greeting and walked in. 

“Colin is everything ok?”

“To be honest, no. Please sit.” Colin said and sat across from her. “I’m sorry Miss Pierce, I have to place you under arrest.”

“W-what? Why?” Mara stuttered a bit as her eyes widened. “Did I do something wrong?”

“Well hacking and company theft is illegal.” Colin stated. “We connected the evidence, and you are the only one that had access to your father’s laptop along with your finger prints on his desk besides his.”

“But I don’t know anything about hacking!” Mara objected. “I only passed computer classes with a B, and that was just programming!”

“Still, there’s no other evidence, and your father had called us about a relationship that concerned him.”

“A relationship..?” Mara asked, now confused. “I went out with a boy named Jacob but he is going into the Law and Justice community.”

“I think he was talking about these men..”Colin said, opening a folder and placing some pictures in front of her. They were from her work, her talking with Lou, EJ, Hoodie, and Masky. 

Mara didn’t know how to feel. Angry? Scared? “Where did you get these? These don’t look like the outside cameras..”

“Your father sent them to us.” Colin replied then asked. “Who are they?”

Never has she thought her father would have such distrust for her. How long has he been stalking her? “I..I can’t tell you..”

“Mara, you have to, if they were the ones in charge of the hacking we need to find them.” Colin pushed.

“You can’t! It’s not their fault!” Mara shouted back. “They did nothing wrong!”

“Then the money you borrowed from your family?”

“How did-”

“You father noted the purchases. Weapon cleaning material, exercise tools? He’s very concerned.”

She knew he was trying to pull a sympathy act, but it wasn’t working by how mad she was getting at her father. He had no trust in her, he never was happy with what she wanted, only happy if she got married and lived an easy life. “My father had no right going through my things or personal life. He never asked me permission.”

Colin sighed and leaned back. “I’m sorry Mara but I’ll have to keep you here until we can get this cleared up.”

She only started to tear up in frustration, not looking up as he stood and walked to the door. But he did stop and ask. “Can I get you anything? Or do you need to make a call?”

“I have my phone..and no..I need some alone time..” Mara forced out, trying to keep a grip on herself. 

As he left Mara quickly looked around and grabbed a pen and a napkin from the coffee table. Scribbling down quickly as Lorien flew out from her pocket and churred to her. “Mara?”

“Lorien, take this to the boys at the mansion. I have no choice but to stay.” Mara said, moving the napkin to Lorien.

Lorien looked sad and shook his head. “No! Not! Without!” 

“Buddy I’ll be fine, just go before they see you.” Mara ordered and rolled the napkin up for him to wrap his tendril around. “Please bud.”

Lorien nuzzled her cheek before flying out the nearest window, heading straight for the mansion. He didn’t know the way very well but he could at least find the forest on his own. Mara, who has had enough with the crying and bullshit that’s going on, decided it was time to sit and rethink her life. She had a big choice coming up and she needed to prepare for what she was going to do. In either case, she was going to cut ties with her father. No one, no matter who they are, should stalk you and not give you the space you need to make your own mistakes.

Lorien flew quickly over the forest in search of the mansion, but was having trouble because of how huge it was. It wasn’t like he traveled it alone, normally Mara was there, and it made him uncomfortable to be alone. He darted around, having to adjust his grip on the napkin once in a while when the wind caught on it. Taking a moment he stopped and sat on a tree branch, puffing for air and looking at his surroundings. He whined softly as trees of similar appearance surrounded him, and nothing looked familiar. 

It seemed hopeless for a moment before he noticed a figure walking through the forest. A large creature, a tall black four-legged creature. Lorien recognized him and flew over, his wings flapping unevenly in panic. “Strider!”

Strider tilted his head at the little demon, but remembered hm to be a friend of Mara. He nodded his greeting and a low groan made its way up his throat. Lorien squeaked out. “Mansion! Help!”

The creature nodded again and started stomping through the forest, as Lorien quickly sat on his back and sighed in relief. Lorien wrapped his wings around the napkin protectively as he waited on Strider’s back, occasionally sniffing it to catch Mara’s scent. He had been stuck in that bottle for years and she was the first person to have contact with him in ages, all Zalgo did was playfully tap on the glass..Mara was home, that is what Lorien knew.

Strider stopped outside the mansion and laid down, and Lorien zipped into the house with the napkin note. Looking around quickly he didn’t understand why they slept all day and worked all night but made a break for one of the rooms, slipping under the crack. Flying around the dark room he spotted Slender and started squeaking loudly, dropping the napkin over his head. “Mara! Mara!”

Slender groaned and sat up, taking the napkin off as he turned to Lorien. “Lorien? What’s wrong?”

“Mara!” Lorien screeched, making Slender looked at the napkin. He got up and turned the light on at his desk while Lorien flew behind him with frantic movements. As he read the napkin he felt his world stop.

“Oh for all things unholy..Lorien, Mara will be alright..but I need a way to fix this and I’ll need to talk about it with Ben..”

Lorien slouched and sat on Slender’s desk, letting out a low whine. Slender gently patted him with one of his long fingers and rubbed his head. “I know Lorien, I’m worried, but we’ll figure this out..”

Mara refused to call her parents, only calling her boss about the situation at hand and Sam. She was currently talking to Kenny who was furious about the whole thing. “Kid just ask your parents to bail you.”

“My parents are the reason I'm here. I’m not coming up with an apology for them doing this to me.”

“Maybe it was a misunderstanding?” he sighed. “I would like you to work Monday because of the new kids..”

“Kenny as much as I want to, I don’t think I can, there’s no way out for me since I’m being framed.”

“Alright..look just text or call me when this mess is over.”

“Understood..” Mara huffed and hung up, standing up and stretching. 

It was already noon and only one officer came in to give her some lunch, they left her in the conference room since Mara didn’t pose as a threat. Not that she would hurt anyone anyway, and running would only make her look guilty. She had to tell Sam about this but she wasn’t willing to call Alyssa or Jacob yet, she wanted to avoid a mass murder before the actual genocide began. Of course there was nothing she could say to prove her innocence, or anything to lie and cover her ass.

Soon Colin came in and asked for a record of where she was for the past few days, and Mara started saying how she was staying with friends to avoid family drama. Colin’s eyebrow quirked up as he looked at her. “You stayed with them for 9 days?”

“Like I said, family shit..sorry family issues.” Mara grumbled, crossing her arms.

“mhm..Mara why can’t you tell me what happened? Or who they are?” 

“I can’t tell you who they are because they’re not part of it. And I can’t tell you what happened because you won’t believe me.” Mara shook her head.

Colin said nothing and stood up, walking back to the door. “Your father is here, and he wants to see you.”

Mara glared but nodded. “Go ahead..”

No more than maybe three minutes and she was sitting across from her dad. His eyes seemed stone cold in rivalry to Mara’s determined eyes. “I heard about-”

“Bull shit.” Mara cut off with a growl. “You didn’t ‘hear’ anything. You set all this fucked shit up!”

“Don’t talk to me that way Mara!” Roger snapped. “I did my best to give you space but everything was just too suspicious to let go. You’re lucky I left your mother out of this.”

“Oh how gracious of you.” Mara huffed, crossing her arms. She wasn’t comfortable leaning back so sitting up straight or standing has been a real pain for the past couple hours.

“Mara do you know how serious this is? You looked at my computer files which hold hundreds of security codes and new systems. And you’ve been hanging around such low life looking people!”

“Do you always judge by how a person looks?” Mara snapped back. “When detective Colin told me about the pictures and who wanted to look into this, I was hurt dad. You hurt me! You betrayed my trust!”

“And what about my trust! You took the money and gave it away to possible murderers!” Roger shouted. “This is a situation I have to keep quiet or else the public might try and do something to the company.”

“Roger I don’t give a damn! I wanted my own life! You swore to me that when I moved out you wouldn’t do this shit!” Mara yelled. “Since you adopted me, you tried to push me to being a successful business woman. Sending me to a psych ward to erase what made me happy, then pushed me through tons of schools to get a high GPA!” 

“A job as a detective won’t make enough for you-”

“Ever think that it’s what will make me happy though!? Or maybe if I do marry then we’ll work together to build a life!” Mara slammed her hand on the table. “I’m not a baby anymore, and I’m not a homeless idiot that can’t take care of herself!”

“But you were at one point!” Roger growled. “You can’t even remember where your real parents went and you suffered everyday. Mara, your mother and I have given you everything we could to grow and live a comfortable life.”

Mara took a deep breath. “I don’t want a comfortable one...not with a rich husband or a rich life. I want a life with my wants, and a person that will want to explore things with me. I’m sorry Roger, but whatever you’re looking for, you won’t find it.”

Out of all the buttons she’s learned to press on him over the years, telling him no or saying he couldn’t get an answer from here was his worst one. Roger said nothing before standing and gritting his teeth. “I just hope you know what you’re doing.”

She said nothing and looked away, hearing the door close behind her she took a deep breath to relax. Never before has she felt so mad and hurt, yet now she felt free. Saying the things she couldn’t say all of her years living with them. No was never an option, or disagreeing with her parents would have only caused trouble. Maybe she has been blinded, perhaps everything she’s done to make them proud meant nothing to her. Either way, her choice was clear now, but she would have to wait until she got out.

“She’s what?!” Lou shouted towards Slender.

As the night came, it was one hour before the planned genocide and Slender had finished telling everyone about Mara’s note. Slender sighed and replied. “She’s being held accountable for the hacking and money exchange to ‘criminals’, but we must focus on our mission. We will get her before the next sunrise.”

“What the hell?! There’s no way we should leave her in there all night!” Lou shouted. “After all she’s done for us!?”

“Lou, the faster we do this, the faster we can help her. So stay focused.” Jane replied, looking over her sharp knife.

“It’s what Mara wants, her note says not to delay.” Slender spoke. “Now, Zalgo will make specific portals to different parts of the world, be at your destination on time or you’ll be stuck in whatever country you visit. I know some of you are more familiar with certain countries so keep to your list and schedules. You all are set?”

“We can do Japan on our own.” Hachishakusama spoke out, nodding to Kuchisake.

“I’ll guide people through the southern half..” Hobo Heart spoke.

“I’ll cut any loose ends.” G.R.A.E nodded to Slender.

“Leave the tech world of perverts to us.” Glitchy red said, looking to Lost Silver, Ben, and several other tech CP’s.

“Right..good luck everyone. Lou, Ben, and Jeff you’ll have to try and finish your lists quickly. I will need you three to help plan Mara’s bail.” Slender replied before everyone left the mansion and Zalgo began forming his portals.

Slender watched as they all started heading through different portals, different cities, and to their city. The most important part was coordination, getting times right. In normal cases the CP’s could leave whenever and go wherever they wanted so long as someone was notified, but this was different. It had to be done flawlessly with no traces left behind.

“You’re worried about the girl aren’t you?”

Locklears voice spoke from behind Slender, but he didn’t bother to turn as he answered. “yes..She is an important piece of this game, the Queen.”

“This is no chess game Slender..”

“I agree, I only made a comparison.” Slender pointed out.

“Mocking me now are you?” Locklear teased. “That’s not like you.”

“I don’t have time for mind games. And you should be observing with the council.” Slender replied, crossing his arms. 

“Perhaps.. But let me ask you this Slender. Are you ready for this? For the change that might occur with your family? It is a possibility that you'll have to leave the forest..escape the human realm. Even the SCP’s were caught eventually..”

“Locklear..do you know the difference between SCP’s and CP’s?” Slender growled lowly. “SCP’s are creatures and anomalies of time and non-existant souls. They have been captured due to corrupt people that wanted to test for weapons. CP’s have never been contained, they’re too strong and stubborn for that..and they possess souls.”

Locklear said nothing, knowing he’s lost the argument. “And the girl?”

“Locklear, note this.” Slender said, turning to him. “Mara is a girl that knew of us before this mess started. Listened to us, believed in us, that was until she was adopted. If I had known her sooner I would’ve brought her in. She deserves to choose her life, but she’s more of a CP than I would believe.”

“And? A human Slender, you forget she could never be a full CP by her mercy.”

“And you forget some CP’s have standards for their kills. Hers? That they only die if they’ve failed their chances to get better.”

Locklear chuckled to himself. “You have an interesting pick of CP’s I’ll admit that Slender..but I’ve never seen you so defensive for a human girl.”

“Remember Locklear..she did the one thing the Council couldn’t do. Nor you.” Slender sneered back.

Locklear tilted his head and removed his mask, his expression was angered and slightly offended but he looked at Slender. “And what would that be?”

“She believed in us. She united us. Mara has seen blood, suffered Zalgo’s wrath, and faced her human life head on with lies that she was at first ashamed of. She saved the CP’s, the Council did nothing for them.”

With that Slender teleported away to start his killings, leaving Locklear to watch the last group of CP’s jump through a portal and Zalgo stood on standby for the next cross over. Locklear chuckled to himself, setting his mask back on. “This human means that much to them huh..?”

He closed his eyes before appearing before the enraged Council. Some shouted at Slender’s words but others agreed that they have done nothing to support the CP’s for decades. Locklear opened his eyes again and called out to them. “Easy Council members. I understand your rage or concerns of loyalty issues. But I wouldn’t worry. Either way, Mara never planned rebellion, she will stay within our grasp. Despite being influential she is still human and she knows where she stands on the CP chain. However, if we want to assure loyalty we must comply..”

They all listened and Locklear continued with a chuckle. “We must agree to whatever terms she has for the CP’s..”


	26. TDM

Never had any of the CP’s imagined this in their life. Never had they had a schedule to keep. Yet, this only made their adrenaline spike to the pure ecstasy of the Killer’s Instinct. They were being challenged and none of them wanted to lose. The only CP’s that were challenged the hardest were the ones that normally stalk for weeks before a kill or those that prefer mind games and suicide. But with only 24 hours on everyone’s plate there wasn’t time to play, especially since there was no breaks for food or rest. Even with the company's files of just normal citizens, Mara and Dr.Smiley had done their own research about wanted criminals and people who were just released by already committing felonies.

In total, there were about 3 million people on the list, and with all the CP’s each of them had about 2,000 people each. It was a ridiculous thought at the start. All the CP’s and SCP’s having to kill around 35% of the world’s population, and even then there would be left over. The goal was to get people to notice and if they at least make the cut of 20% that should be enough. It was going to be hard, testing every CP to their limits, but it was the plan. Everyone was connected to any phone they could get their hands on with the list, separating by countries. Those that didn’t have a phone had to partner up or get a picture of the list.

Jeff looked up from the dead body, a little miffed by how sloppy the cut smile was but he had no time to make it perfect. He jumped out of the window and started running to the next location. He always wanted to see Germany, but he would love to take more time with it. With many houses to go still he wasn’t sure how the fuck he was going to get to Mara in time. As he made his way he double checked his phone then put it in his pocket, currently it was 6am in Berlin, but 9pm at home. The schedule was simple, complete as many locations possible before the team leader calls to go to the portal, and if you miss the portal you had to wait for someone or find your own way home. Some of the countries were already morning, leaving certain CP’s in charge with morning or noon hunts.

Jeff was one of the CP’s that could do morning hunts but only some CP’s like Judge Angel could do noon hunts. He had no choice though, he has to kill as many as he can and get back home. He hasn’t been caught yet, which was incredibly lucky. The protocol if you were spotted was to run and not fight back unless you were certain you were going to be arrested or knocked out. Which will be hard for anyone that may encounter a police officer along the way, but with everyone staying away from the streets they could remain in the shadows. It shocked Jeff by how many of the people Mara deemed to deserve death, and was even more shocking to him that all these people had even taken her father’s security system.

It was only around 10pm when Mara looked, she had her dinner and spent the time talking with one of the police probies who just started, giving her tips on how to look at criminal evidence. The girl soaked up the information like a sponge but the pleasant chat was interrupted when another officer called for her to come out and Mara looked outside from the office. She was surprised to see many people scattering in panic and so many officers leaving. Colin burst into the room and Mara turned to him and asked. “What’s going on? Is something wrong?”

“A string of murders are being called in from all around the globe and some here as well. I’m going to have to lock you in here until the crisis is averted.” Colin said.

“You’re going to lock me in here?! What if the killers get here!?” Mara demanded, feigning her anger.

“Don’t worry, we still have plenty of officers to watch the base here..it’s going to be a late night and a warning has been passed to let people know to stay indoors.” Colin replied, closing the door and locking it.

Mara was glad so one could hear her through the walls and sighed. “Idiots..always over looking things. That is the problem with society. You think they’re attacking anyone, but they’re attacking in houses, prisons, clubs, and even basements. You’ll figure it out within a few weeks..”

She has always believed in society being naive and ignorant, but no doubt they might open their eyes a little after this. If not, oh well, it was natural selection. But she knew that if people don’t look and listen around them, they’ll only set themselves up for unhappiness and destruction. Such examples of religious extremists, they built cults. Racists of the past, they commit genocide. And of course to more current examples, the ones that compare themselves to perfection, they become monsters.

Mara sat back down in her chair when worry started getting to her about what the morning would bring. She didn’t want to transform more, in worry of people seeing it, and there was no news of Slender’s response. At this moment she was relying on luck and hope. There wasn’t much else she could do other than maybe sleep, and that’s what she prepared for. She laid down on her side and turned on her phone alarm for 5:30am, in hope of making a bathroom excuse to hide transformation.

Zalgo waited patiently, looking over the times that he had to make portals, and looked up when he heard a familiar voice behind him. “So, back already Slender?”

“I have lived here for years Zalgo, this territory is not much to sport in.” Slender replied. “Any updates?”

“From the CP’s that have passed through the portals they only get through maybe 1,000 people each, and some have encountered smaller issues like construction areas or gangs. We’re falling behind our quota.” Zalgo spoke. “But no word from the other legendaries. They must be picking up a lot of slack.”

“The children are feeling pressure..” Slender grumbled. “We can’t keep playing on stealth.”

Zalgo smirked. “Well it’s a good thing I called in a favor to some others~”

Slender turned to him as Zalgo made a small red flame ring that showed a clear vision in the gap. Slender was in shock, Locklear, even some Council members have joined the fight. Even SCP 682 was in one of the cities creating havoc, and he was an indestructible SCP. “Zalgo..how did you manage this?”

“Actually the Council joined because of you apparently. Locklear told me about your little speech and convinced some of the Council members to finally get off their asses. As for 682, I just told him that if nothing else he will have his revenge on the cops.” Zalgo replied smugly.

“I see, so 682 is only a distraction..that sort of violates the rules..but I suppose it’s what we have to do.” Slender replied, knowing all too well 682 hates any human no matter who it was.

“You going back out there?” Zalgo questioned as the vision sphere vanished. 

“No, I have something else to take care of..if Ben, Lou, and Jeff come by tell them to continue their work and not worry about Mara. I have a plan of my own.” Slender said as his body shifted to his human form. “I don’t have much time in this form, but it's enough to get Mara out.”

“Playing the hero Slender?” Zalgo chuckled. “Ugh how that is so like you..”

Slender said nothing as he teleported closer to the border, making his way through the city for the evidence he needed to set Mara free.

“We’re gonna get fucking caught! I’m only at 500 kills!” Jane yelled over to Hoodie. “Damn phone alarm systems!”

Every proxy was in charge of a team and if an alert was passed through each proxy would get one and divert the team elsewhere. The team leaders were mainly proxies, but some Cp’s were picked out above the rest. EJ was head of the stealth team, killing during morning and noon. Ben was in charge of CP’s that could go through cyberspace. And LJ was head of the havoc team, the team that is the largest and in charge of the countries with larger population lists. 

Hoodie wanted to deny it but Jane was right, with the alerts popping up they were having trouble getting into households and clubs that were active. “Keep to the plan Jane! I’ll message Ben!”

Ben glanced at his phone and looked to the other computer CP’s. “Change of plans. We need to attack any building that possesses wifi communication. Attack the power lines too. Just knock the damn power out!”

They nodded and quickly entered into the first electronic they could, crawling through the cyber code. Ben did the same and passed through the green and blue codes with ease, having done this for many years. Finding an internet tower was easy, getting through a firewall? A little challenge. Ben grinned as he popped his knuckles, reading the red text wall. “Ok baby, let’s see if you can keep me out..”

The task of the cyber CP’s was to kill, but if there was a situation that a CP needed a quick escape the cyber CP’s could be there in a flash and pull them through a TV. It was the only team that didn’t have a rendezvous point considering they could go anywhere, but one problem was coordination, if they hit out too many power line they could cut off a path home. As the red wall fell Ben easily started to mess with the code and the city he was in lost its phone connection. “That was fun~ now to let the others know.”

EJ glanced at his phone while he was catching his breath and read Ben’s text. “So..knocking out power to by more kill time?”

The more stealthy killers were sent as the morning and noon, EJ being part of that team sends the message on to everyone and requested Ben’s team to do the same for their current city. He started running again to the next location, meeting up with Bloody Painter along the way. “Bloody Painter, how much time do we have?”

“Next portal opens in 45 minutes!” He called back. 

“Damn..even with the power outages we’re not making good time.” EJ gritted and broke away so he could go to the next club.

LJ’s team was having luck but even they were having trouble with gang resistance and homes that had prepared security. However, he knew they were doing well enough, getting to almost every location needed. His attention was caught by Jeff running towards him. “Jeff what is it?”

“Police that’s what! We need to get to the portal now!” Jeff said, grabbing LJ’s arm as he ran by.

LJ was quick to follow and keep up with Jeff, looking over his phone. “Ben is taking care of power lines, hopefully that will slow the humans down and give us a boost.”

“That won’t be enough, we need to speed up the kills!” Jeff breathed out, his hair and body was covered in blood just like every CP at this moment.

“That can’t happen without mistakes!” LJ snapped back and jumped through the portal with Jeff, looking to Zalgo. “Zalgo, how much time do we have?”

Zalgo looked to him then at the time stamps. “It’s currently 2am, we have 18 more hours.”

LJ sighed. “18 hours..And the CP’s are starting to fatigue..”

Jeff grumbled, looking at LJ. “Then send me in as clean up, I’ll get the ones we missed.”

“But then who will grab you?” LJ demanded as Zalgo set up the next portal.

“Jack, I have Ben to help me with that.” Jeff pointed out and jumped through one of the portals.

LJ found no point in trying to argue and jumped through a different portal to continue the hunt. The genocide was doing well but not as well as everyone hoped. There was a limit on time now and only about 15% of that list was done, they needed more force. LJ did the only thing he could think of and contacted SCP 035, hoping the Mask had a plan. To which when the Mask read the message he hummed. 

“So we’re falling behind huh? Not a surprise..”

“I can only cure so many in this time limit.” SCP 049 replied, cleaning off his gloved hands.

“Maybe, but I have a way we can fix this without breaking the rules~” 035 replied with a chuckle and sent a message to everyone.

As everyone looked to their messages, the plan shocked them to the core, but it could work. Masky looked over it and scoffed, but knew there was no other choice. “Since slender is busy, I’m going to say that let’s go forward with the plan. Someone inform Zalgo to make the portals.” He texted back and ran to the nearest portal.

Slender had his work cut out for him, now resting in an alleyway as his normal form with an unconscious human on the ground. His plan to set Mara free was becoming more difficult than he imagined, and now he had to wait until his power could turn him into a human form again. It was not good either that this plan had a chance of failing too. He checked the time on his watch and sighed, it was better to try now than never. Using what power he had he transformed and hauled the unconscious man up and over his shoulder before walking to the police station.

Mara didn’t know what made her wake up, but she did and when she raised her head she groaned at the stiffness in her body. Getting up she yawned and saw it was 3am on her phone and she slowly got to her feet and tried opening the door, which of course was still locked. She rubbed her tired eyes and looked out over the office, surprised that there was only around 5 officers inside. Just then her laziness vanished as a man walked into the police station, a familiar face.

She tried to listen through the door but it was muffled and there was nothing to possibly amplify the sound through the door. Mara only watched as the human Slender threw the man down and handed one of the officers a few papers. The officer looked through then nodded to Slender before running to the conference room and unlocking the door. Mara blinked and slowly stepped out from the room. “Slender?”

“Come on Mara, it’s time to go home.” Slender said softly.

Home..something that Mara was more than happy to hear. She nodded and ran over to him, and walked beside him as he lead her to the forest. They were silent for a while, feeling the cool air and as they crossed into the forest Slender turned to his normal form. “Slender..mind explaining?”

Slender turned to her and stopped walking, nodding slightly. “After the CP’s went on for the genocide I decided to find a way to get you a bail. I had to find a criminal here first though that had a background of hacking. Then after I found him I made him write up a confession in the state of a ready suicide note and then made some foney copies of your father’s company files.”

Mara looked at him in shock and blinked. “W-wait..how..you don’t even have a cell phone.”

Slender sighed. “I had to take control of the man..and then it took me a few tries to look up how to do it on his computer..”

Mara smiled and hugged Slender’s arm, nuzzling her face on his sleeve. “Thank you Slender..”

“Of course Mara, but I wouldn’t thank me just yet. We need to make sure the police buys the story..” Slender said as he started to walk again but let Mara cling to his arm.

Lou was finished with his next kill, it wasn’t as satisfying as his own personal kills, but it wasn’t for him at this point. But he couldn’t help but detect an anomaly. All these people had taken Roger’s security plan, ex criminals, ex gang members, and people that had a tendency to abuse others. What did this security plan entail? Arriving at the next house he noticed the light in the living room on and a man scrambling through a stack of papers, which also fluttered to the floor or couch that the man was sitting on. Lou wasted no time and checked to make sure it was the person he had to kill before creeping a hand over to the lightswitch and turning the lights off. The man panicked and looked around before racing to the light switch, to which Lou grabbed him and effectively slit his throat with a knife, ignoring the spurt of blood.

Curiosity got the best of the killer as he turned the lights back on and looked at the papers, all of which was documents to Roger’s company. He took a moment to sit and scan through the papers before finding one that peaked his interest, the invite for the company systems.

“Hello, Mr.Anderson,

Due to your release from prison we recommend you joining the Pierce Industry’s Security system! We dedicate ourselves to providing safety for those that have a troubling time outside from release, and a trial will be given if you desire. Call the number below if you have questions.”

Lou felt whatever he had as a heart freeze up, Roger’s work was only to criminals, anyone that has spent time in prison. But why? Maybe the guy was a saint,or maybe he had something else in mind..but he wouldn't be able to tell without help. He pulled out his phone as he rushed out of the house to the next location. Calling Mara, he prayed she was alright.

Mara was sitting in Dr.Smiley’s basement on one of the tables, Slender preparing for whatever transformation would occur. Hearing her phone go off she glanced at it confused and answered it. “Hello?”

“Mara, it’s Lou.” Lou said, out of breath. “Are you ok?”

“I’m fine, Slender got me out of the police station and we’re just-”

“Ok great! Do you know what your dad’s intentions were for making his company?” Lou asked quickly.

Mara felt worried and thought. “I..I don’t know Lou. He’s not my biological father and his company was growing when I was adopted. Why?”

“All the people we are killing are ex-criminals, and they all have a connection to your father’s company.” Lou stated urgently as he arrived at the next location, only seeing that Jay had beat him to the spot.

Slender looked over to Mara, whose expression contorted from worry to fear. He went over to her and rubbed her back while taking the phone and setting it on speaker. “Lou, focus on the mission it doesn’t matter what connection they have to the company.”

“Slender think about it! When Ben hacked it he mentioned about how many people he had on files, and that his company suddenly spiked over the years. You don’t think it’s fucking weird that Roger has only been giving security systems to criminals?”

Mara’s breathing turned choppy and painful gasps as Lou spoke, only making Slender take the phone away complete and scolded Lou. “Lou! I will do my own research now please focus on the mission!”

Slender hung up before joining Mara again to calm her down. “I’m sure it’s nothing more that a coincidence child. Please you have to try and relax before your next transformation.”

Mara nodded numbly before taking off her sweater and laying on her stomach while Slender started gathering new bandages. But the nagging feeling poked her head at Lou’s words as she grew fearful of what her father’s company had to do with criminals.

Lou was infuriated by Slender’s sudden hang up but followed Jay to the next portal where the other CP’s were. As they jumped through Lou had half a mind to look for Mara, but was stopped by seeing the group of CP’s. Zalgo stood before them with the Council and spoke out in a loud booming voice. “SCP 049 and 035 has brought up a plan. If we just capture the people and bring them into the forest then we won’t have to worry about the police.”

“Zalgo you’re the only one that can provide gateways and only a handful of CP’s can teleport. It would slow down the count.” Hoodie replied, gaining a few CP’s favors.

“But we’re already running out of time doing what we’re doing now.” Lulu pointed out. “If we just collect them then the CP’s can kill the humans here secretly from the world.”

“The point of this is to sow the world what we’re doing!” Vailley shouted. “If we hide the bodies then this would all be for nothing!”

“Missing persons would do just as well and drive fear.” Alex interjected.

“But then they’ll think it’s killers rather than the Creepypastas!” Clockwork shouted.

Arguments and shouts broke out through the CP’s, getting a heavy sigh from Zalgo. The Council members were also frustrated with this and trying to come up with a solution. Locklear stood there for moments before grinning under his mask and tapping Zalgo, motioning to the CP’s as a “please get their attention”.

“EVERYONE SHUT THE FUCK UP!” Zalgo shouted above the rest. 

It took a couple minutes but everyone slowly quieted down and Locklear stepped forward. “If you’re all so worried. Why don’t we leave a message? Go on with the plan to capture the humans to bring here. And then send teams out around the world to leave messages of the CP’s. Quotes, pictures, blood. Anything to catch attention. When all is done then I’ll talk to Slender about a...Proof.”

Instead of arguing more Zalgo quickly set up the portals and started sending anyone that could fly or teleport, or who were generally faster. Locklear decided to have the Council get the CP’s ready for the arrival of victims while he went into the house. Locklear knew where Slender would be and as he opened the door to the lab he was not at all surprised to see Mara’s wings. Mara looked up instantly and her eyes gave away surprise. “Locklear? What are you doing here?”

“Ah there was a commotion with the CP’s but we got it straightened out.” Locklear simply said and looked to Slender. “A word Slender?”

Slender nodded and left the room with Locklear before commenting. “Please make it fast Locklear I have no idea how much her next transformation will affect her.”

“She may have to face this one alone Slender. The CP’s need your help.” Locklear started to explain the plan and the risks involved in it. Slender said nothing as Locklear talked and only when he finished did Slender speak.

“You want me to be a figure. And to be caught on camera?” Slender clarified his role.

“Essentially, don’t give yourself away completely, just be you.” Locklear nodded. “You’ll need to leave now though. If you’re worried about Mara I can stay behind.”

“No..go ahead and continue to help with the hunt.” Slender replied before retreating to the basement.

Mara lifted her head again and gave a soft smile. “You need to go?”

“Yes..will you be alright?” Slender questioned, checking the supplies around her. “You know how to use everything?”

“Yes Slender. Now go help the others.” Mara said and slowly got up, holding the blanket to cover her chest.

He said nothing in reply and in a blink he was gone. Mara looked at her phone which now read 5:23 am. Time seemed to be going faster due to all the chaos, she could only imagine what was going on outside the forest. But since she had time she quickly started looking up her father’s company when it was still young, and how it came to be. She checked any interview that she could, many having the same phrase on repeat. “We want to protect them.”

Mara couldn’t help but get weary and continued to do her research, and Lou did have a point that most people that were under her father’s security system if they were criminals. One article caught her eye though, making her scroll over it slowly.

“Police Department Thanks Roger Pierce for Providing Protection for Released Convicts.”

She continued reading down the article, which described the interview of her father and his explanation of the security plan. The plan included cameras around the house inside and outside along with motion detectors inside the house and an LED light system outside. It was the basic system but one of the quotes from her father made her stop.

“When I was younger, my mother was attacked by a man that broke into our house. I want to protect people, but it’s not just enough to protect yourselves as it is to also protect others. There are many unstable people that want a second chance, my system is just more forgiving to the convicts and people that have committed crimes. We not only protect people living in the house, the camera’s record everything to prove innocents. For instance, my home has three servants, my wife, and myself. If one of my servants stole from me, I would be able to find out.”

The cog in Mara’s mind clicked in place. He knew she was on his laptop, he knew the people she had been seeing, because her home was rigged up with his security measures too. She only turned off any notifications because the chance of her being robbed was minimal, but that means he could’ve seen Lou, Toby, Grinny, and Jay in her house. Mostlikely Slender made the camera glitched out but it freaked her out nonetheless. He wasn’t just providing protection for customers, he was giving police access to watch these criminals.

Mara’s head started to sting and throb by the new information and the fear running through her. She glanced at the time again and forced herself to relax so she could prepare for the pain that was going to occur, she wasn’t sure what more of her could change or disfigure so she had to be ready. A mirror on the wall that was slightly cracked and bloody beckoned her to look at herself, and as she looked up she cautiously flexed her growing wings and looked at her piercing amethyst eyes. Even her skin looked more pale and her hair frayed, and what shocked her most was how her nails seemed to grow into more of a short talon shape.

She was scared, out of everything that had to happen in her life, what was scaring her most right now was the future. Accepting the CP’s had been easy, making friends was simple, learning her parents distrust in her was painful, but now the fear of change was corrupting her emotions. It felt like ink was pouring through her veins, the thick feel of her blood gently throbbing now. Forcing her to face the medical supplies she pulled the table closer to her and strapped her ankles on the table while she looked over the supplies, ready to do what she would need to. Slowly laying down and moving her wings in a comfortable position she waited, staring at the ceiling.

LJ was helping round up the humans but glanced at his phone. He wasn’t good with phones but he could at least read the time and call someone. Taking a moment to check messages and the time he then picked up the unconscious human and ran to the nearest portal. Zalgo was near to snarling from the tension in his body, opening portals was not easy. Although Jeff took charge in setting a perimeter around the forest to kill the humans, making sure there was no hole in the group. Everyone took care in this plan, seeing it as the last thing they could possibly do to succeed. 

Those that were fast or had a more artistic streak such as Bloody Painter took the time to leave bloody words of the CP’s, and Jason the Toy Maker had his hellish plushies to assist. Of course when some nations were illuminated by the sun, CP’s like Hobo Heart left quick messages on the victims houses and alleyways. Ben however was leaving CP encoding and had his team forcing any open web page turn to the CreepyPasta website. He grumbled to himself as he trailed along the cyberspace. “This fucking plan is going to get us caught if we’re not careful..Mara, if you live after your transformation then I will kill you.”

Mara in the meantime was suffering her own pain as her hands clenched to her sides as sunrise began, and the wings felt like they were getting stabbed with needles, and reflexively they twitched and flapped under her. She gritted her teeth, letting out seething gasps and looked to the mirror on the wall. On the outside than many brown and black feathers began to pop up along we wings, and her nails grew more talon like with them getting longer. Otherwise she was greeted with a tightening feeling in her gut, making her squirm and thankful she cuffed her ankles down. There was no way to tell what was changing internally which made her panic and her heart raced, praying it would be over soon.

The blood red sun reflected in Toby’s goggles as he saw the sun rise and looked down to one of the victims who was being devoured by the Rake. The younger proxy didn’t find much excitement with waiting and patrolling for humans, it was like watching a mouse trying to escape a mouse cage with knives lining the bars. However, Jeff, who was only a few feet away, was clenching his hoodie right above where his heart was. Toby glanced around to see if humans were coming before calling out to him. “Jeff, is your Killer Instinct acting up?”

“No..this is different.” Jeff replied and looked towards Toby. “I think something’s wrong with Mara.”

This genuinely surprised Toby, Jeff didn’t have any special powers and there was no way he could tell what was happening to Mara. “Are you sure? You just didn’t eat anything bad or..”

“Toby, go check on Mara.” Jeff demanded and Toby took no time to start racing to the house.

Ignoring the humans screams and dodging the attacking CP’s, Toby ran to the mansion, nearly slipping on a pool of blood along the way. As he sprinted into the house he listened for any screams and went straight to Dr.Smiley’s lab, figuring that’s where she’d be. Opening the door he didn’t even say anything before seeing Mara gasping for air. “Mara! What’s wrong!?”

He wasted no time to get to her as she was holding her throat with one hand and pointing to a cup that was on its side on the floor. He picked it up and took it to the sink to get tap water before rushing over and helping her sit up to give her the water. She gagged a bit and spit up some of it but manages to get the majority of the water down her throat. The cup was pulled away and Toby watched cautiously as Mara’s breathing began to even out with occasional gasps.

Mara felt odd, not bad but odd, her throat felt more open and turned to Toby. “Toby?”

Toby dropped the glass, making it shatter. “Mara..your voice..”


	27. First Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys I'm putting a vote in. As much as I love Creepypasta I want to make other fanfics stories. Ones that i'm most curious about making are these-  
> 1) Subnautica  
> 2)Detroit become Human  
> 3) OC story Stained (Is all about people being trapped in a video game)  
> 4) a continuation or alternate CP story about possible OC kids?

“My voice?” Mara questioned, she tried to listen to herself this time, but her ears were ringing that made both hers and Toby’s voice muffled. “I-I’m having trouble hearing.”

“Here hold on..” Toby said and uncuffed her ankles to let her sit up, but smiled a little. “Nice wings.”

“Thanks..”Mara muttered, her hearing beginning to clear but still clogged.

“Alright.” Toby said before lightly clapping his hands together by Mara’s right ear. “Can you hear that?”

“A little?” Mara shrugged.

“Here, I got an idea.” Toby said, grabbing a flashlight from Dr.Smiley’s desk and turning it on.

Mara resisted the urge to close her eyes as Toby checked them and sighed. “Well..your dilation is ok. Close your eyes please.”

Mara did as she was told and nearly flinched when she heard a loud clap beside her right ear. Her hearing was now clear and heard Toby ask. “Which ear?”

“Right..” Mara answered right away. And as he did the same thing but near her left ear she replied. “Left.”

“You can open your eyes. I guess the transformation just screwed with your brain.” Toby said and Mara opened her eyes and sighed.

“Fuck it hurt..” Mara muttered. “Why are you even here Toby? How did you know I needed help?”

“Actually Jeff sent me. He looked like he was in pain and sent me to see you.” Toby smiled. “You guys must have a psychic connection!”

“Heh..maybe.” Mara smiled softly before slowly getting off the bed and flexing her sore wings. “How are the others?”

“Tired..but the new plan is working well! We’re gathering humans in the woods through Zalgo’s portals and leaving messages through the cities!” Toby encouraged and helped Mara walk up the stairs of the basement.

“That’s good. Hopefully they’ll find some time to eat. I need to contact my friends.” Just as Mara finished that sentence she groaned. “Could you-”

“Grab your phone, on it!” Toby said and Mara got up the last step before he came rushing back with her phone. “Thanks Toby, go help the others I’ll be alright.”

“Ok, bye Mara!” Toby replied before running off.

Mara only smiled before going to the living room and sitting down, still worried about what changes occurred in her body. Which made her remember Toby’s comment about her voice. She thought carefully before opening her mouth and singing softly.

“Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens-”

Just with that line Mara noticed how crystal clear her voice sounded. Almost like a singer, but she found that strange since she had been transforming into a bird this whole time. Taking another moment to think she stood up and took a couple deep breaths before singing loudly.

“In sleep he sang to me, in dreams he came~ that voice that calls to me, and speaks my name~”

Mara was shocked, she was singing opera notes perfectly, and she was so excited she continued to sing. Her voice rose and fell at the right time and didn’t lock up at all, she never was able to sing like this before. As she hit the highest notes she was interrupted and gasped, cutting off the song as she saw a stranger at the door. The woman staggered on her feet before shaking her head and looking at Mara in horror. She seemed just as stunned as Mara, and taking the chance Mara began to sing again.

She watched nervously as the woman slowly staggered closer and seemed to be enchanted by the voice, to which Mara finally understood. Her CP type, she’s a hunter that lures prey much like what Hypno does. On one hand that was truly exciting but now she wasn’t sure what to do with the woman in front of her. Mara didn’t have to worry long as Clockwork had run into the room, confused by Mara’s singing but quickly grabbed the woman by the hair and dragged her outside.

Mara took the moment to catch her breath as the sound of screams finally came to her from outside. Slowly she stepped outside and was taking in her surroundings, which felt refreshing to her. The blood red sun, the smell of the trees, and the warmth of the sun. Her wings opened up with small twitched as she took in the warmth. 

“You ok Mara?”

Mara’s head snapped towards Jeff and she smiled, running to him and hugging him tightly, catching him off guard. Hesitantly he patted her back before fully embracing her, careful of her wings. “Are you ok?” He muttered again.

Mara nodded and chuckled. “Yes Jeff, thanks for sending Toby..but what are you doing here?”

“I just wanted to check on you and ask..did you by chance cast a spell or something? I could feel your pain for a few moments.” Jeff grumbled, pulling away from the hug.

“I don’t think so..I was just surprised Toby said you could feel my pain. But I thought you knew why.” Mara replied, looking at him confused.

“Might be fucking Locklear for all we know..”Jeff scoffed. “I’m just glad you’re ok.” 

Mara smiled and then playfully teased. “Don’t you have a war to win?”

“Oh shit yeah! See you later!” Jeff yelled back as he darted into the forest again.

Mara only chuckled before taking out her phone and seeing a few missed calls and unread texts from Sam, her father, and Kenny. She sighed and first called Sam, thinking he could speak for both Kenny and himself. It rang for a couple seconds before it was answered with a frantic voice. “Holy Shit Mara where are you? I heard you were at the police station but when Kenny when to grab you they told him you were picked up by someone.”

“Sam relax I’m ok, one of my father’s lawyers got me.”

“..are you sure you’re ok Mara, you sound weird?”

“I feel..” How did she feel? Enlightened? Scared? “I feel safe so don’t worry. I’m back home.”

“Good, Alyssa really wants to see you. And Kenny wants to see if you can make into work today or tomorrow.”

“Go ahead and tell Kenny I’m taking today off..I’m not sure yet about tomorrow, it’s been a late night and I’m ready to pass out. As for Alyssa, I’ll plan something.”

“Ok, rest up Mara. and really, don’t call until you’re feeling better.”

“Got it, bye.” Mara replied before hanging up and sighed, looking over her dad’s number and hesitantly calling him.

Once again it rang for a few seconds before her father’s worried voice echoed in her ear. “Mara? Moonshine are you ok?”

She had to be honest, she was sick of this question. “Yes roger i’m fine..”

She heard him sigh before saying. “Look hon I’m sorry..I had no right to sell you to the police or invade your life. But I’m still your father so I worry..”

Mara felt her heart soaking in the sorrow in his voice, but she couldn’t just lay down and give him her trust that easily. “I’m sorry too..but I'm not a baby anymore dad.”

“I know, please come home moonshine, your mother is losing her mind in fear of what happened and I need to make amends.”

“I..I’ll visit at some point..love you dad.” She whimpered out.

“Love you too.” He replied and then she hung up.

Mara took a deep inhale before letting out the exhale slowly. She had to make her choice today. Go home and be human or be CP. She weighed her options and she knows what she wants most, she just needed to wait for the blood bath to end. Seeing nothing more to do, she decided to head up to her empty room in the mansion to sleep, setting her alarm for later that night.

The CP’s were growing tired, and even though the plan was working well, hunger and their killer instinct was wearing them down. Even Zalgo was having trouble keeping up the pattern of the portals. Locklear noticed the fatigue and thought to himself before looking to the Council member’s who were discussing the current issues with the CP’s. Even Ben was exhausted as he jumped out from Lost Silvers DS screen, he was on his hands and knees as he panted.

Locklear walked over to the Council and questioned. “Is there anything we can do for them?”

“Only transfer energy.” A voice croaked out.

“Then do that, we need to keep them going.” Locklear commanded. “Any energy you can.”

“You seem suddenly fired up for their cause.” One of the Council members spoke.

“I like excitement, there’s nothing exciting about a bunch of kids and young adults dragging their asses during a purge.” Locklear pointed out.

The Council members nodded slowly before one turned to Zalgo and placed a scaled hand on his back, transferring energy to the demon. Slowly one by one the Council members gave some energy to the CP’s. It was not the first time they’ve given their own energy to the CP’s, but it was rare. Many of them considered it weakness to give energy to dead beings with immortal life, and only Slender had the experience when he was first starting out as a CP. His energy would sap easily and until he learned to control his energy the Council had to watch him carefully.

Slender’s mission to making a place for immortal souls like himself sounded ridiculous to the Council members. Back when they used to hunt for themselves, but Slender promised if they helped him make a home and he would track down the killers to kill humans and give souls to the Council. Of course, they agreed and as the years rolled by the popularity of the killers grew, gaining the Council’s praises. Energy was derived from the souls the Council would consume, and with more souls being delivered they knew they could spare the energy.

One by one the CP’s felt powerful once again with new vigor in their veins to finish what they started. Jeff quickly jumping onto the next citizen and stabbing his knife into their chest. “Go to sleep~”

The CP’s felt lust fill their body as a flood and adrenaline spiked within them, Zalgo grinned as the portals opened. They all separated and allowed the Council members to leave, the CP’s weren’t offended or worried knowing the Council participated as long as they could. But now the challenge was back on to get the kills and get it done before they got caught or time ran out. In the internet Ben was frantically looking for more cell tower connections and was shocked when in the glow of code he overheard the news.

“Many cities are paralyzed over the overwhelming amount of murders committed in the city, some claim to be gangs but many in the youth category are calling them “creepypastas.” For those unaware, they are fictional characters that people claim to have once lived or are monsters currently lurking.”

“Oh we’re more than lurking.” Ben snarled and moving to the newscaster channel, his mere presence making the camera fuzzy. As the station panicked and one of the men tapped the screen, Ben’s hand lunged out and his voice crackled through the speakers. “You shouldn’t have done that..”

Blood seeped down LJ’s fingers, having to kill one of the people rather than capture. His side was bleeding from a bullet wound and a hole was left in its path, but his Killer Instincts were running rampid making the pain numb. LJ took no time running to the next house and immediately tackled the man to the ground, who was struggling and trying to get back inside, screaming for his family. Seeing no other way LJ slashed the man’s throat open with his dark claws and dashed away from the yard, hoping over the next fence. Turkey was bathing in sunlight still, and the heat was starting to get to the clown.

Hobo Heart who was flying by spotted the bleeding monochrome CP and flew down quickly. “LJ..it’s 6pm here, do you need to tag out?”

“No, i’m alright. One of the people just surprised me..” LJ smirked and covered the wound. “Impressive huh? Mara’s father has his company worldwide.”

“Only with certain countries..” Hobo replied. “South America and Africa don’t have the system and only a few houses covered in Australia and Russia.”

“true..I suppose America and Europe are the ones that have the most, and many spots covered in the Asian countries..” LJ groaned as he sat on the ground. “I take it back, I need to tag out.”

“I figured..Hold on.” Hobo said as he grabbed LJ around his stomach and started flying to the nearest portal.

Hobo set LJ down as soon as he reached the portal before taking off and letting the clown walk by himself. In the forest screams echoed and LJ turned to Dr.Smiley, who was treating Nick at the moment with a knife wound on his left arm. LJ chuckled and sat by Nick before commenting. “Let me guess, your person wouldn’t go down?”

“Yeah, had to kill the psycho bitch, she was watching the news when I snuck in and she freaked.” Nick huffed.

“She had a reason~” Dr.Smiley grinned. “Humans react so irrationally in danger. Now, get back on the field.”

Nick nodded and ran through the nearest portal while Dr.Smiley turned his attention to LJ. “A bullet wound? LJ normally you’re more careful.”

“Yeah but we’re on a time crunch..” LJ defended weakly as Dr.Smiley began to examine the wound.

“But even so, you almost never come back with a wound, if you’re not careful it could be the “serpants” mission all over again.” Dr.Smiley chided.

LJ nodded, the Serpent's mission was a task he was set on to hunt down a killer in Virginia. Why he was sent there was no clear reason, but when he went, the guy put up one hell of a fight. He had two machetes that managed to cut off LJ’s left arm and stab him straight through his gut, and luckily managed to kill the guy and Bloody Painter found him. LJ didn’t remember the first few weeks of the healing process, but when he woke up, Jeff was there at first angry then began crying. Jeff was yelling about how it was his fault for getting hurt and how he made Jeff wait for weeks without eating, which of course LJ wasn’t really at fault.

But even so, he wanted his life back, he didn’t care how mangled he would be after this. He wanted the peace, he wanted everyone’s happiness, and he wanted Jeff back. The awkward atmosphere that surrounded everyone for years was within reach of being terminated. After Dr.Smiley patched his side he thanked him before heading through the next portal. They were going to win this bet, they were going to make Mara’s plan a success.

Time was ticking on differently for every CP, for some the time seemed to drag while for others they were overwhelmed by the speed. Masky was one that was getting overwhelmed as he spray painted the proxy symbol in black on the side of a church. He shook the can to get his nerves steady but as he went to spray on a different wall his mind shut down. What was going to happen after this? Surely the Council wouldn’t give into demands just because they kill a shit ton of people right?

“Masky! Come on we have to hurry!” Hoodie shouted, but was stopped when Masky’s head just tilted down. “Tim? You ok?”

Masky said nothing and Hoodie rushed over to drag the frozen proxy down the alleyway. “Tim what’s wrong with you? You didn’t forget your pills right?”

Masky finally looked up and felt like he couldn’t breathe, quickly ripping off his mask and gasping for air. “W-what’s going to happen-”

Hoodie had seen his attacks before but this time there was legitimate confusion rather than fear, he pulled his hood off and grabbed Masky’s wrists tightly. “Tim look at me! Get it together! What the fuck are you freaking out over?”

“We’re being fooled again!” Masky snapped, finally looking at Hoodie, his hands shaking with rage. “Once this is over we’re just going to be more in debt to the Council!”

Hoodie growled back. “Can’t you for once trust anyone else? Mara’s plan is working and the Council and Zalgo have been helping-”

“Mara’s going to leave us, Zalgo is still a fucking demon, and the Council are just greedy assholes for souls!” Masky shouted. “We’ve given them what they wanted and now we’re in more shit for it!”

“You don’t know that!” Hoodie let go of Masky’s wrists to cup his face.

“I do! Brian for once look at where we are! Once we were human now we’re-”

Masky didn’t finish his rant before Hoodie placed a kiss on his lips briefly, as Hoodie pulled away he glared at Masky. “Stop thinking of the fucked up future and worry about what we can do right now. If this works then we’re no longer ants to the Council.”

Masky said nothing but the look of doubt crossed his face for a moment, making Hoodie place a small peck on his cheek before moving away and putting his hood up. “We have to spread our symbol.”

Masky only watched as Hoodie ran off and with a sigh his mask was placed over his face again. Hoodie was right, but it worried him no less. Living with Slender wasn’t the worst thing to happen to him, yet being trapped or in debt scared him more than anything. He shook the spray paint can furiously before sprinting to the next empty spot. No matter how old he gets, immortal or not, the fear of change had haunted him. Rather, the fear of enslavement scared him. Being trapped in an endless cycle for the rest of his life and the other proxies suffering as well. Masky learned to trust others only in a team, the world falls apart otherwise, but he was forced to trust this human girl.

Shaking his head he ran back out, throwing his mask back on as he ran down the street. They were going to make this work, they would survive, it’s all they could do now. The hours passed slowly, almost painfully as the CP’s scattered around the world to capture their prey and show there’s symbols. The sun rose and fell in different continents but did not slow the CP’s one bit, the forest of their home was beginning to stain with blood on the ground and trees. Power and internet connections were being fucked with as they would either be broken or cut in and out from the world, creating more mass panic to the humans. 

Slowly as the day began to end, everyone arrived back, either blood covered or sweating from the run. Zalgo was starving for souls and Dr.Locklear had no more power to pass on to anyone. Chessmaster, one of the last to come back, looked at his watch and tilted his head. “It’s 8pm..How many did we get people?”

Leaders of different groups began to count and the other CP’s caught their breaths, some collapsing onto the ground to rest. Everyone was tired, sore, hungry, and ready to sleep through the next day. As they finished up, Locklear walked over and took the final tally of the houses and victims. Having to borrow a phone to calculate he said out loud for everyone to hear. “Everyone, we’ve successfully killed 2,503,793 people, or better said as 31% of the world!”

Cheers rang out, but of course others were tired and worn so the cheers were not as loud as they could’ve been. They all figured that they could celebrate tomorrow. Seeing this as the time to rest, the CP’s walked inside ready to eat then rest for the rest of their day. Coming in a strong smell of cooked meat filled the house and everyone barreled towards the kitchen for whatever the smell was. In the kitchen, Mara laughed at the hungry look on everyone and called out. “I made some food! There’s still more cooking so everyone grab a plate or whatever you want.”

All of them scrambled, shoving others aide or snatching the food from the plates or counter top, Mara almost was terrified by all the snarling and sat on the countertop to avoid them. Seeing them eat and moan in delight of the food did make her happy though, and when some got their food they disappeared up the stairs or into another room. Lou walked over to her and smiled at her tiredly, letting her take his mask off to see him. “we did it..”

“Yeah..I wish the plan went smoother though..” Mara admitted as she looked over the sea of killers and absentmindedly ran her fingers through Lou’s mangled hair.

“Is fine..” He muttered, getting between her legs to rest his head on her lap. “Are you ok? You’re transformation-”

“I’m ok Lou. Sore, but I’m ok..” Mara said to him, leaning down and pecking his head. “Go eat, we can talk more tomorrow.”

He numbly nodded before pulling away and taking his mask, hurrying to the fleeting food. Mara simply hopped off the counter to continue cooking what she had left in the kitchen. She wasn’t a gourmet chef but she could at least make something for everyone to enjoy. When Smile dog and rake walked over she gave them body human arms she found in the meat locker then stepped outside to Seedeater and the other larger monsters. While feeding them Zalgo walked over with a smirk and asked. “So, human or CP?”

Mara glared at the demon. “You’ll be the last to know. But I do have my answer.”

“Great~ just inform me at some point.” Zalgo said before walking off.

Mara shook her head and turned to go inside, yelping when Lorien tackled her to the ground in his large version. He began to lick her face and she laughed, moving her head away as she tried to push him off. “Lorien stop! Goodness why are you big? Were you out consuming nightmares?”

“Hai!” The demon purred and got off, running to a tree real quick and ripping off a branch before bringing it back. “Play!”

Mara slowly got up, groaning at the slobber on her but smiled and took the stick, throwing it as hard as she could into the air and he leapt up to grab it. Locklear watched in amusement by the now half CP human playing fetch with a dream demon. Avoiding being trampled by said demon he stood by Mara and commented. “Your plan was a success, the Council sees you are useful.”

“Great. Glad I could help.” Mara grunted as she threw the stick again and Lorien went bounding after it.

“So..your demands?” Locklear asked, crossing his arms with a smirk under his mask.

“My..what?” Mara questioned, looking at him with confusion.

“Your demands. We followed your plan, and it deemed successful. What do you want us to do for the CP’s?” Locklear asked again.

Mara thought but it didn’t take long for her first demand. “Let the CP’s love who they want. If there’s one falling for a human you can take liberty of judgement, but those that love other CP’s leave them be.”

“Very well. Anything else?” Locklear pressed on.

“The council has to help catch their own prey. If you guys think the CP’s aren’t getting you enough souls then get some for your damn self.” She hissed. Mara didn’t have much sympathy for hierarchy using everyone on the bottom of the scale to do their work.

“Alright.” Locklear chuckled. “We’ll plan something where it’s equal on both sides. Any more?”

Mara looked away in thought. She knew they couldn’t remove Zalgo’s curse, and she knew she was going to be forced to pick a side. But there’s nothing else the CP’s were worried about either. “Yes..If I work as a CP or human, what will I be doing?”

Locklear took a moment, tapping the side of his mask. “If you’re human you may create a cult or just have a family bred on the CP legends. Your children will be our spies and connection to the human world. If you become a CP then you will live like a CP in whatever way is necessary for Slender.”

Mara nodded and then spoke quietly. “My last demand is no one can hurt my family or my friends. Helen, Roger, Sam, Jacob, Alyssa..I want a promise that the CP’s won’t hurt them.”

Locklear started at her for a moment, his eyes made her uneasy but he nodded. “Then we’re done. Good luck with whatever you’ll do in the future miss Mara.”

He took a bow before vanishing into the warm air, leaving Lorien and Mara in awe. Lorien looked to Mara and purred, gently nudging his head to her back before turning small and cuddling into her hair. Mara smiled and her wings twitched reflexively, petting Lorien she made her way inside and chuckled at all the food that was ransacked from the kitchen. Seeing nothing else to do she started walking upstairs, going to her baren room with Lorien curled up in her hair.

Taking out her phone she sent a quick text to her friends and family asking if it was possible for them to meet up tomorrow saying she had some news to share. Once making it to her room and laying on her bed, she waited as the sun began to set through her window. The choice she’s making would never be without consequences, but she’s thought long enough and she knew what to do. Tomorrow, she will tell everyone what she’s doing.

The next morning Mara was watching the news on her phone while walking to her parents for breakfast. July 2nd and lots of people were boarding up their houses and police were frantically hunting for the killers. Watching the news she smiled at the camera appearances of Slender and quick camera or video shots of the other CP’s. Many people who claimed to see them were being interviewed or people that knew the victims made an appearance on the news. Of course, scientists and realists were still not completely convinced it was the Creepypasta’s, the murders shocked everyone to the core.

One of the best parts that Mara didn’t realize until now, there wasn't any specific religions or races that got wiped out in a pattern, making it more real that the CP’s did it and not a specific terrorist or extremist group. This turned out nicely in their favor. When Mara had left the mansion she had thrown her coat over her wings and didn’t see anyone in the mansion when she left. Everyone was dead asleep, and now it was time to confront her family and friends about her future.

Arriving at the mansion she was thrilled to see her parents and her friends there. They looked tired but were discussing the last couple day’s events around the world. Alyssa was the first to spot Mara and ran over, hugging her to which Mara had to make sure she didn’t come in contact with her wings. “Mara! You scared the shit out of me! You didn’t call or text for like four days and now you want to meet up!? I thought you got killed!”

“It was concerning not hearing from you.” Jacob added as he looked over.

“Hell even Kenny got worried.” Sam shrugged, taking a drink from his glass.

Roger said nothing, keeping his eyes on his plate as he ate, but Helen ran over to guide Mara to the table. “Honey we want you to find a new place to live, it’s too dangerous here.”

“Mom, guys, I have news of my own so please calm down.” Mara said as she sat in her seat. “It’s really important and I want you guys to hear me out until I’m finished.”

Everyone slowly took their seats and watched Mara with curiosity and worry. Waiting until everyone was seated, Mara took a deep inhale and exhale. She knew her choice and she has to tell them. “For as long as I’ve lived here I never regretted any choice I’ve made, nor the things I’ve done. I’m proud of who I am and what I’ve done for others and myself. I thought about this for a while and I know now I need to move on and see new things.”

“What do you mean?” Sam asked, tilting his head slightly. “Are you moving?”

“Precisely what I mean..I need to leave here and go be who I want.” Mara nodded. “I won’t be alone, there’s someone I love very much, who’s going to be there for me every step of the way.”


	28. God Mode (ending 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (I have decided as stories to do both Detroit Become Human AND Subnautica! Now I don't know which I'll start with, leave comments below for your vote!)

Chapter 28- God Mode (Ending 1)

Years have passed since dropping the news that she was eloping with Lou. Her parents and friends knew him as a gang member but she knew there was no way to tell them he was a killer that partook in the genocide of 2019. To which was the first year that barely anyone celebrated the fourth of July. It was currently 2025, and Mara was still psycially 21, but mentally 27 years old now. Her friends and family said they would miss her and wished her luck, and although she couldn’t remain in contact with them she would fly out to see them or Lorien would help enter their dreams.

Mara had decided to keep the way her body was now, learning how to fly with her large wings and using her voice to lure people in for others to kill. Over the years she still had a sense of justice and would only lure those that were abusive or tainted in a way. That’s the way she liked it, hunting and looking for terrible people to bring home. Although she did leave her life behind, it’s not like she couldn’t go into the city, she would go all the time to buy snacks or movies and would convince other CP’s to go with her. 

Speaking of them, the CP’s had finally fallen into the golden age again, being with who they wanted, and doing whatever they wanted. Everyone showed great respect to Mara but also knew she was still a friend and would mess around with her. Zalgo was a little ticked off by not getting the soul he wanted, but the under realm CP’s were delighted to see her when she came down to help out Zalgo. As promised she worked for both Slender and Zalgo, it was nothing big, just mainly errand girl or making sure the CP’s were behaving. She never heard from the Council after all these years but Locklear would stop by from time to time.

“Mara, what are you doing?” Lou’s voice pulled her from her thoughts.

Mara was currently sitting on the roof, waiting for the sunrise and absentmindedly throwing a stick out into the forest and waiting for Lorien to bring it back. She smiled and looked to her boyfriend. “Just thinking.”

“That’s dangerous.” Lou joked as he climbed up to her.

Mara huffed. “Hey my thinking saved you all.”

“And caused a genocide-”

“It needed to be done!”

“And nearly caused a social collapse in the aftermath of it.” Lou chuckled and sat next to her, taking off his mask. 

“I can push you off this roof.” Mara glared at him, hissing out her threat.

Lou smirked and moved a hand to her wings, petting them gently and making Mara’s glare melt away. She let out a soft moan and leaned against him as he continued to pet her wings. “I know what you’re capable of, that’s why I love you.”

“Mm~” Mara purred softly. “Yeah..I love you too. Sorry I was just thinking about when I made my choice...would you have been mad at me if I chose to be a human instead?”

“No I wouldn’t be mad..maybe disappointed but not mad.” Lou shrugged. “I’m just glad you’re with us. But~ I will admit it would’ve been nice to see what my kids would’ve looked like.”

Mara smiled at the thought, but Dr.Smiley informed her once she became a CP it was impossible for her to have kids. Being a CP basically means stopping time for your body, and having a child would have to be made through Zalgo in the form of a demonic deal or ritual. Not that it mattered, Mara was happy either way with Lou and didn’t really want to get caught up in Zalgo’s magic again.

“Eh, you win some you lose some. At least I’m a CP now, I don’t have to worry about age.” Mara commented, giggling as Lorien came back panting and flew up to rest on top of her head.

“True..what are we waiting for?” Lou asked as he looked at his phone for the time.

“I’m waiting for the Sunrise. It’s been a week since i’ve seen it and I just want to.” Mara answered.

“It’s fucking March babe, aren’t you cold?” Lou looked over at her, seeing her in jean pants and a tank top.

“Nah, besides my wings are keeping me warm.” Mara said, flapping her wings for emphasis.

“Mind sharing?” He chuckled and rolling her eyes, Mara moved one of her wings around him and the other around herself.

“Needy~” Mara teased and giggled as he pressed a quick kiss on her lips.

“Only for you.” He muttered and watched the horizon with her as the sun began to peak out and the purple blue sky began to light up yellow and glow off the clouds. This to Mara was bliss, and she was happy to spend the rest of her life this way.

Downstairs Ben and EJ were getting ready for bed, because the COuncil allowed them to have their lovers again many of the CP couples decided to share rooms to make more space for any new CP’s. EJ saw it best just to move to Ben’s room considering he had all his electronics plugged in and it would be too much of a hassle to move it all into his room. Ben was already dressed for bed, setting his nintendo aside on the nightstand and smirking at EJ. “what?”

“What do you mean ‘what?’” EJ asked, slipping his hoodie and shirt off to get to bed.

“You got that stupid look again. The “i’m stuck in my own world” look.” Ben said as he sat up and crossed his legs.

“Well maybe I am.” EJ smiled and slipped off his pants to grab his sweatpants for the night. “Can’t I just be happy I’ve got you back?”

“Oh I suppose so.” Ben sighed and played dumb, trying to conceal his smirk.

EJ grinned and stalked over and before Ben could scramble away the cannibal pinned him to the bed and tickled his sides. Ben screamed with laughter and tried to get away, only getting EJ more enthused by his lover and leaned over to bite his neck. When he finally stopped tickling Ben, the blonde CP panted and pecked EJ’s cheek. “Was it worth the wait?”

“We shouldn’t have had to wait in the first place..” EJ growled, still finding the past break up a stupid decision on the Council's part.

“Well it happened, but I’m glad it got fixed.” Ben sighed and laid back, pulling EJ to lay down with him as he cuddled into the killer’s chest. EJ pecked the top of Ben’s head before pulling him closer and closing his eyes to sleep.

Masky and Hoodie were in the security room, taking inventory of the camera’s before Toby popped in. “Hey guys! You got this tonight right?”

Masky looked over and grumbled. “What are you-”

“I’m going to bed with Clocky, bye!” Toby spat out before slamming the door and running upstairs.

“I swear to God I will bury him alive in a 10 foot grave..” Masky growled.

“First off you don’t have the time for that, second you know he’ll just crawl out like a bug.” Hoodie commented, not looking up from his paper.

Masky let out a huff and moved closer to Hoodie. “Ready for the late night?”

“As ready as I can be.” Hoodie shrugged, it wasn’t an abnormal schedule to them so he wasn’t sure why Masky was asking.

“We won’t have much to do tonight..”Masky pressed on, catching Hoodie’s attention.

“Tim, we are not doing anything in here.” Hoodie snarled at him. “The last time we fucked in here Slender nearly caught us.”

“That was just because we left the door unlocked.” Masky argued.

“Tim he can teleport in here, whether we lock the door or not he can come in!” Hoodie snapped back. “We’re not doing anything like that tonight.”

Masky only smirked as he sat in his chair. “We’ll see..”

In Jeff’s room he and LJ were laying in bed, mainly it was just LJ sitting in criss-cross style and Jeff sitting on his lap and playing with his knife. Just enjoying each other's company and making plans for the next night. Jeff and LJ kept separate rooms to avoid having LJ’s candy and prank supplies cluttering the floor and Jeff’s knives and stuff cluttering their desks. Both agreed that they shouldn’t share a room just yet anyways, Jeff’s main concern being that LJ would literally keep him prisoner in their room.

“What’s on your mind Jeffy?” LJ asked as he nuzzled Jeff’s shoulder.

The pale killer huffed. “Not much, just thinking back to the mass genocide. We really did a good job there.” Jeff smirked a bit.

LJ’s chest vibrated against Jeff’s back when he laughed. “We certainly got more popular after that! What was it? Two cults were made and 15 people were sacrificed?”

“Something like that.” Jeff nodded then sighed. “But it’s also something else..I remember feeling Mara’s pain somehow..”

“What do you mean?” LJ asked, suddenly peaked in interest.

“I’m not sure, it was during the genocide and her last transformation. She was changing and I somehow knew it.” Jeff grumbled. “It still annoys the shit out of me that I don’t know why.”

LJ shrugged. “I wouldn’t worry about it Jeff, that just means you care for her.” 

“Yeah maybe, I’m gonna get a pop, you want anything?” Jeff said, attempting to get out of LJ’s lap which just made the clown hold tighter.

“Nah~ I just want you here.” LJ purred as he moved a hand to Jeff’s thigh.

Jeff smirked and smacked the top of LJ’s head with the hilt of his blade, which made the clown let go just enough for Jeff to squirm away. “So no on a drink?”

LJ pouted but then his lips curved into a smile as he rubbed his head. “Nah, I’m good. You’re such a punk at times.”

“You know it.” Jeff agreed as he left the room and walked downstairs to the kitchen. He didn’t pass many people because it was so early but he didn’t mind. As he got to the kitchen he saw Slender there making tea and the tall man turned his head to Jeff.

“Good evening Jeff.”

“Hey.” Jeff greeted back weakly as he grabbed a soda from the fridge, debating to himself about asking Slender for the reason. “Hey Slender-”

“Are you going to ask about your connection to Mara? Or about her choice?” Slender interrupted, grabbing a mug from one of the cabinets.

“Oh, wait how did you know that’s what I was going to ask?” Jeff asked, raising a brow.

“Sometimes as you pass by I hear your thoughts and it’s been most frequently about Mara and your connection?” Slender spoke. “But I’m not sure what connection you mean.”

“When she was on her last transformation I could feel her pain. But I have no real explanation why. I’m not a legendary CP or have any powers like Zalgo or Lockler.” Jeff shrugged.

Slender thought before teleporting away and coming back in a second, showing Jeff an opal of blue meshed with red. “Jeff what do you think this gem is?”

“Uh..an opal?” Jeff guessed. “Looks like one..”

“Yes but this came from Zalgo’s realm-”

“Fuck is it cursed?!” Jeff shouted, jumping back a bit. He was not going to suffer under Zalgo’s magic anytime soon, hopefully never.

“No Jeff. This opal hold a power of an alternate world. A world where our kind were not immortal, but stuck in the 1800’s in a pirate era.” Slender explained.

Jeff looked at Slender as if he was just told that Slender was getting married, perplexed and curious. “So..it’s another world, stuck in a gem?”

“Rare gems from around the world are connected to alternate dimensions. In this world you were a witch.” Slender continued.

“A witch? I mean that’s cool and all but if it’s another world how does it apply here?” Jeff asked.

“The council made these gems, they are worlds of our kind from different dimensions that either perished or are stuck on a loop. Others like the emerald of the past and diamond of the future are the only ones that relate to us currently.” 

“So what you’re suggesting is I got witch blood?” Jeff tilted his head, his brain hurting from this anomaly.

“What I’m saying is that it’s possible your alternate lives still hold some power or connection to you.. And that’s what gave you the connection to Mara, your trust in her made you constantly aware of how she felt. Just like how you know if LJ is in pain.” Slender finished, putting the opal in his coat pocket.

“Oh..I guess that makes sense. I think? Thanks.” Jeff began to walk away, still processing the information as he left the room.

Getting back upstairs LJ greeted Jeff with a smile but was a bit surprised by the distant look on Jeff’s face. “Everything ok Jeffy?”

“Huh? Oh yeah, just fine.” Jeff shook his head, opening his soda and taking a drink. “How about we watch a movie up here?”

LJ nodded and took out Jeff’s laptop, opening it up. Over the years the CP’s got a bit better at stealing and almost everyone had a form of electronic, but that also meant Ben had to help set up a wifi connection. It wasn’t easy, especially since they’re not paying for it so anyone trying to enter the forest to find the signal is quickly scared off or killed. Even then though LJ was not a technological person and Jeff took the computer before his boyfriend accidentally breaks it. 

“How about The Shining?” LJ suggest, wrapping his arms around Jeff again and leaning back on the headboard.

“Too easy, what about The Purge?” Jeff looked at LJ for a second.

“Hmm, I could go with that, but you owe me a psychological horror next time.” LJ chuckled, nuzzling Jeff’s hair.

The two killers relax and let the early morning take their time as many CP’s were already asleep or getting to that point. Mara had slipped back inside with Lou, he said he was ready to call it a day but Mara was not tired yet. Convincing him to go to bed she walked to Slender’s office, knowing very well he was probably enjoying the peace that the CP’s wouldn’t normally give him. Knocking on the door quietly she waited for the mental ‘come in’ before she entered.

Slender was sitting in his chair and drinking his tea, setting down his book he turned his head to her. “Ah, Mara can I help you with something?”

“I’m not tired, I was just curious about something.” Mara shrugged and walked over, sitting in one of the spare chairs.

“What’s that?” Slender asked, setting his cup down.

“well..I know that I can’t have kids, but why is that? Dr.Smiley said that because I’m a CP I can’t, but I could when I was human?” Mara asked. 

“Unfortunately I don’t have a positive answer Mara. Even my brother, who fucks women to death, can produce fertile seed. Something about being immortal takes away the chance of having kids.” Slender said. “Not that it really matters, only a few CP’s like Toby even like girls.”

“well..I want to conduct an experiment. I want to see if it’s possible.” Mara commented.

“You can try..talk to Smiley first, and then maybe talk to Zalgo. Being a demon means he’s probably done rituals to get someone pregnant by their wish. He tends to only grant a woman’s pregnancy if he gets to feed off a soul.” Slender explained, picking up his book again.

Mara stood up, nodding. “Alright thank you Slender. Enjoy your morning or um, evening?”

Slender nodded and she left, thinking along the way to Lou’s room. The two moved in together since Lou didn’t have much stuff and Mara’s old room was emptied out anyways. She snuck in carefully and closed the door behind her, slipping out of her shirt and pants before sliding under the covers to curl up with Lou. He groaned a little, being half asleep but moved an arm around her with a yawn. “Hey babe..”

“Hey hon, I’m gonna be working for the next few days. I’m gonna see if a Creepypasta child is possible.” Mara muttered as she rested her head on his chest.

“Nice..that sounds fun..” He mumbled, she giggled slightly as she relaxed, only to jolt when he sat up. “You’re what?!”

“Shh! Lou there are others sleeping!” Mara shushed him. “What are you freaking out over?”

“We both already know kids are impossible unless you want to make a deal with Zalgo. CP people are infertile.” Lou whispered quickly, still in his initial shock.

“That’s why I am curious, plus it’s been a while since I had a project to work on that both sides can help participate in.” Mara shrugged.

“Ok? So..what are you going to do?” Lou asked, laying back down.

“Simple. Study sperm and eggs of CP’s. then from there figure out why their infertile.” Mara smiled and laid back on top of him.

Lou said nothing and began to pet her, lulling her to sleep and hoping she’d forget this experiment. It was a futile thought so why bother trying to make it work? The next day however, Mara went straight to Zalgo and said demon began to laugh when Mara explained what she wanted to find out. Lorien was with her and had his wings around her neck as he tilted his head at Zalgo. Mara crossed her arms and glared at him, waiting for him to stop and Stripes walked over with a tray that had some snacks on it.

“Kinda figured you’d want something while you wait.” Stripes said chuckling lightly.

‘Thanks..” Mara huffed, taking one of the snacks and popping it into her mouth before calling out to Zalgo. “May I ask what’s so funny!?”

Zalgo was gripping at his throne chair before getting up and taking a few deep breaths. “Ok..ok sorry kid that just really made my day. I know exactly why CP’s can’t have kids, you don’t need to experiment!”

“Ok so why not?” Mara asked as she stepped closer.

Zalgo walked down to her, signalling her to walk beside him as they made their way down the halls. “You see, just with any fairytale or shit, giving up mortality means that you have to give up something. Reproduction is just what is taken away from killers, while heroes or justified people lose family or loved ones.”

“Why reproduction?” Mara was a little confused as to why that would be taken away.

“Because the point of killers is they can’t love. They don’t love family and others so there’s nothing to lose there. And they lose their minds so that can’t be taken, so the trade for a CP? The ability to have kids. Plus, it opens opportunities for new CPs and that’s what the Council wants.” Zalgo explained, stopping at one of the doors before adding on. “Also it’s great not worrying about raping a human and giving them CP DNA for scientists to find.”

“No traces..” Mara mumbled.

“Exactly~” Zalgo opens the door to the jar room of several demons and mystical items. “I’m guessing you’re the one that wants a kid?”

“Can’t deny, maternal instincts hit me even when I’m a CP.” Mara admitted. “I don’t know if I’m gonna live forever I guess I want another challenge.”

Zalgo chuckled. “Sounds like a bad idea..besides, isn’t Lorien your baby?”

Lorien flew up and hissed at Zalgo, making Mara smirk. “Lorien knows how to take care of himself, he’s my best friend.”

At those words the little demon flew onto her hand and nuzzled her fingers, purring softly. Zalgo shrugged and took a book off the shelf. “Well sorry princess there’s nothing you or I can do. It has been the compromise of CP life. Take it up with the Council if you’re determined.”

After speaking with him, Alex lead her to one of the portals that would lead her to the Council. He looked at Mara and handed her a satanic talisman pendant. “Here, just mutter Zalgo’s name when you’re ready to come back and a portal will open up. Good luck with the Council.”

“Thanks Alex.” Mara nodded before stepping through and seeing the Council before her along with Locklear.

“My my it’s been a while Mara.” Locklear said first and smirked. “What can we help you with?”

“I was curious if you guys would ever allow CP’s having kids.” Mara said as she stepped closer.

Locklear and several other Council members began to laugh at the ridiculous idea, making Mara roll her eyes and look at Lorien who only chirps at her. Once the mad doctor calmed down he looked to Mara, holding his stomach. “Alright, so you want children for what reason?”

“Well..it’s kinda personal. I just want a child. But if there was a chance for CP children then perhaps you’ll have more hunters?” Mara pressed, getting a few questioning stares.

“Go on..” Locklear said, crossing his arms.

“More hunters, more souls, and you also don’t have to worry about finding new CP’s.” Mara said. “Honestly, when was the last time you got a new CP? Five years ago? Was I the only new recruit? And better still, if it’s possible to have CP children they can carry on the CP life if something happens to the legendaries or other CP’s.”

Mutters filled the room and Locklear glanced at everyone before replying. “You may need to give us some time to talk.”

“Of course.” Mara bowed before looking at the talisman and muttering. “Zalgo.”

The portal opened and Alex was still there, smoking and leaning against the wall. He glanced at is watch and huffed. “That didn’t take long.”

“They need time to think about it.” Mara simply replied before making her way to the exit.

The next few days were pretty uneventful, Mara had told a couple people about what she’s been up to but they were freaked out and worried she was becoming like Dr.Smiley. Ben seemed to be the only person that would hear her out and give his opinions, that that’s what was happening today. They were gaming in his room, playing Left 4 Dead 2 together as Mara spoke. “I just want to have a kid without having to kidnap one.”

“Look Mara, I don’t get maternal instincts and shit but I think you need to let it go. The CP girls pretty much hate kids, well a few exceptions there, but then you got the guys that don’t want kids to block their freedom.” Ben replied, not looking away from the screen.

“Come on Ben, soon things might become boring and then you’ll be stuck in a vanilla life.” Mara scoffed.

“Vanilla?” Ben chuckled. “Mara, we’re killers nothing in this life is vanilla. And so what if we get bored? That’s not gonna happen for years to come.”

“Then what if humans find us or something eradicates the CP’s? Then what? We could have kids to continue this life or have the world reset.” Mara argued.

Ben sighed and paused the game to look at her. “Mara, most of the CP’s are either gay, straight, or asexual. The ones that are in a relationships that can reproduce are you and Lou, Toby and Clockwork, and Sadie with Kagekao. It’s just useless to have kids when it can only happen with a girl and guy.”

“There’s surrogates-”

“For humans.” Ben cut her off and rolled his eyes. “Besides, could you imagine us with kids? Me and EJ for example, having a cannibal or phantom kid? That’s just a nightmare. Plus I don’t know how to take care of kids, and what does that make EJ and I? Dad and papa? I would be a terrible parent!”

Mara giggles and pokes Ben’s stomach, making him squirm away. “You sound like everyone that’s just scared of kids. Come on I think you’d make a good mom.”

Ben’s face flushed red as he shoved her off the beanbag. “Not in my life. The point is maybe you shouldn’t worry about it. Or let it just apply to you. I don’t think the other CP’s will care or want to have kids.”

Ben did make sense in that matter, not every CP will like the idea, and Mara knew that some of them actually didn’t like to be around kids. It was questionable if they would like kids, but even then she still had to wait for what the Council wont say. She had admitted in losing hope in this to Lou but he encouraged her to do what she wanted and try her best at it. If nothing else Ben was right that if the Council will allow it, she could have her own kid.

The days continued on as usual and after a full two weeks passed Mara had pushed the idea out of her mind to spend time with Lou and the others. Locklear stepped onto the porch and knocked loudly on the door since it sounded like a part was going on inside. Bloody Painter opened the door and moved for Locklear to come inside. After a minute of looking around over the groups of CP’s drinking and chatting, he found Mara playing cards at the table with some of the others.

“Miss Mara~” Locklear purred out as he got closer.

Mara jolted a little and looked to Locklear. “Oh hey! Um, someone want to tag in for me?”

“I’ll take them on!” Kagekao said, taking Mara’s cards and taking the seat she vacated.

Mara and Locklear move to the conservatory where it was just a tad bit more quiet. “Sorry Locklear, I wasn’t expecting you here on game night. What’s up?”

“Our response to your proposal~” Locklear chuckled. “The Council doesn’t want to risk any of the CP’s until they’re absolutely sure how it will turn out. So you are more than welcomed to be a guinea pig in this but no one else is involved until we have seen what happens.”

“Alright, I agree to that..over the last couple weeks I realized it sounded better in my head.” Mara sighed.

“Don’t be downhearted, your ideas are definitely...interesting to ponder.” Locklear smiles and hands her a small bottle of light blue liquid. “Just drink this before you plan to have a kid, it will grant you 24 hours of a chance to get pregnant~”

“Thank you Locklear.” Smiling she stuffed the bottle into her pocket. 

“Not a problem, we’re eager to see the results.” He chuckles and then vanishes.

Slender had only passed the room but overheard them with their talk and thought carefully to himself. “The Diamond wasn’t wrong..I wasn’t expecting the Council to go with it. It had shown children, but this is not how I figured it would happen. What is the Council doing?”

Leaving the premises before Mara ran out to tell Lou the news, he watched the excitement practically glowed off Mara. If the Council was permitting a child then so be it. He was still their leader, and he would do everything to protect the Creepypasta’s, whether he would die or live. The years ahead are cloudy, but their current life was rosy, and he would keep it that way.


	29. Life Simulation (Ending 2)

(Note: This is not the canon ending but I figured you guys would like the alternate ending to the story.)

It’s been several years since she’s said goodbye to the CP’s, but as promised for living a human life her soul would be given to Zalgo when she dies. His promise was kept that she returned to her human form, and along with that promise, she had two kids in the six years that has passed. It was 2025 that she was now 27 years old, having her eldest child being 5 and her youngest being 6 months old. It was better that their ages were separated by 4 years or more according to her mother, being that they’ll get along better. And she could still take care of them while being a criminal psychologist or having Alyssa come to babysit with her own 5 year old son.

Mara confessed that she had eloped with Lou but then proceeded to say he had a job that required him to be gone for weeks at a time. Although her friends and family tried to convince her he was a bad match, she knew the truth while they didn’t. Alyssa and Sam decided to move with her and Jacob stayed in contact while moving to join as a lawyer around the US. Mara’s mom and dad stayed in contact and visited during the holidays, but Roger had issues with his company over the years because of the genocide. 

Her children had no amazing powers or supernatural abilities, but they definitely had interesting habits and looks. Her eldest child was a girl, her name was Fern which Mara had picked out because Lou lost the bet that it would be a boy. Fern was a bright girl that loved to play outside no matter what the weather was, yet made it troublesome when she would get muddy. She had her mother’s violet eyes but her father’s curly brown hair that trailed down to her shoulders, and she would constantly wear tennis shoes with black pants and a T-shirt. Fern had more of her father’s ideals in the fact that if you cheat or lie you deserve to die, which for a while scared the shit out of Mara that she could potentially kill her classmates.

On the other hand, her 6 month old son Sol, a name that meant the sun that Lou wanted to name him. Mara had teased him about naming him Sol just so he wasn’t the only one with three letters in his name, but she was happy that he took the time to think about his name. Sol had his father’s chocolate eyes but her black hair, and being at 6 months there wasn’t too much to worry about. But being 6 months he’s already a trouble maker and a horde toys, he could vanish from sight then suddenly appear with a different toy in his hands. He was developing faster than a normal baby but Mara wasn’t sure if that was a CP thing or if he just happened to be smarter.

It was 8pm on Saturday of March, a day she had off of work that she would hate to see it end before she had to go into work tomorrow. The next day she would have to drop her daughter off at school and her son at day care then work with a bunch of psychos, but for now she was enjoying the evening. Her daughter was drawing on paper with crayons on the floor of the living room while she held her son and watched TV. Her home was a simple one story, basic necessities and then the main bedroom, her daughters room, and the office study was turned to her son’s nursery.

“Mama? When will Papa be back?” Fern asked as she looked up.

Mara smiled at her before getting up and setting Sol on the ground with Fern in order to sit in front of them. “I’m not sure baby, why?”

“Well Papa promised he’d come back every three weeks..” Fern frowned and held up a picture of her father. “And I really want to give him this..”

“Oh honey he’ll be here soon enough. And I know he’ll love your art.” Mara chuckled as Fern came over, cuddling into her mother's chest.

Mara held her daughter and looked to Sol, who was playing with Lorien. Yes, Lorien had stuck with her for all these years, and his main task was watching over the children when he could, preventing them from hurting themselves or from eating something they shouldn’t be. Lorien squeaked as he dodged her son’s strong hands, only getting excited babbling noises and persistent swipes at Lorien. Mara had raised her children on classic Grimm Fairy Tales and the Creepypasta stories, of course for Sol he was mainly entertained by her just singing a lullaby.

“Now Fern, how about you go take a bath and I’ll call your papa to see where he is ok?” Mara compromised as she made Fern look up at her.

“Ok mama!” Fern’s excitement came back as she left her mother’s arms to run to the bathroom.

Smiling she picked her son back up and Lorien took the chance to escape and lay on top of Mara’s head as she settled back onto the couch. Mara picked up the toy that Jason made for Sol when he was born and placed the little black and white rabbit in her son’s arms. He cooed and sucked on the rabbit’s ear while holding it tightly to his chest. Sighing in a mix of bliss and unwinded herself into the comfort of the couch. It was hard being a single parent and only seeing Lou once a month, but Lorien and her human friends assisted when they could and the CP’s would have Lou bring their gifts to Mara for the children.

Mara grabbed her phone and called Lou’s number, waiting for him to pick up as it rang. When it clicked she heard his voice and smiled to herself. “Mara? What’s up?”

“Hey hon, our daughter really wants to see you.” Mara chuckled softly.

Lou returned the chuckle and replied. “Don’t worry, about 5 more minutes then I’m there. Do you think you can get me some tea?”

Lou didn’t really like tea that much but Mara didn’t do much else besides OJ, tea, hot chocolate, and water. She wouldn’t drink alcohol and she was still gluten and dairy free so no milk. It made her happy no less when Lou said he would try to drink tea and she managed to find some flavors he liked for when he’d come over. “Of course. Love you.”

“Love you too babe.” Lou replied before hanging up.

Mara sighed and set Sol aside, looking up at Lorien. “Lorien please look after Sol, I need to get tea ready.”

“Si!” Lorien squeaked and flew off her head, perching himself on the armrest of the couch to watch Sol.

Getting up to get the tea ready she looked over her herbs that she had planted in several jars and pots to add a little green to her house. Setting up the kettle she grabbed a bag of loose leaf green tea and started making two cups. As promised, there was a knock on the door no less than a couple minutes later and Mara walked to the door to open it. She gasped in surprise seeing Lou with several bags of gifts in his arms and he groaned. “A little help?”

“O-oh my god.” Mara giggled and took some of the bags to lighten the load. “Is this why you’re later than normal?”

“Everyone was pitching in for gifts and practically begged me to wait.” Lou huffed, bringing the gifts to the couch and setting them down. Lorien squeaked and flew up to Lorien to greet him and Lou removed his mask. “Hey little pest.”

“Hey!” Lorien screeched, flying to the bag to look at the gifts.

Lou turned his attention to his son, who now had set his toy bunny aside and looked up at Lou. He chuckled and picked up his son, pecking the top of his head. “Hey big man, you’ve been good for your mom?”

“As good as he could be.” Mara giggled, setting the bags down to watch them.

The water began to whistle from the kettle in the kitchen and Mara quickly walked over to get the tea set. In response to her leaving the room Lou set Sol back down and told Lorien to keep watch before following Mara. She just finished pouring the second cup when she felt Lou’s arms wrap around her waist, making her relax in his hold. “Hey love.”

“Hey.” Lou muttered, pecking her neck. “How are you holding up?”

“No different from last month, both of our kids are very forgiving to let me sleep at night.” Mara jokes. “But once Sol starts walking on two feet we might have a problem.”

“Yeah, just call me home early if you need to.” Lou said as he nuzzled her and groaned. “I wish it didn’t have to be like this..”

“It was probably for the best..” Mara said softly. “I couldn’t say goodbye to the life I built and waste the education my family gave me.”

“I know..I’m proud but I wish you guys could just live with us.” Lou whispered as her gently rubbed Mara’s stomach.

“How are the others?” Mara asked, turning to meet Lou’s gaze. 

“Good, you know all the couples are together and reliving the golden age.” Lou smirked. “Aka, dating like no one’s business and doing whatever the fuck they want.”

Mara nodded and sighed. “I miss them..”

“Hey, you know they love you though.” Lou said, grabbing his cup. “Come on, they wanted me to document your reactions to the gifts.”

“Oh good lord.” Mara giggled and grabbed her mug, following him back to the living room. 

Sol was crawling around and recognized his father, crawling closer and cooing with excitement. Lou set his mug on the table before picking up his son and sitting on the couch, playfully letting Sol trap his fingers before making them squirm away. “Lorien could you help me set up the video camera?”

Lorien squeaked and flew over, Lou hanging him the camera as Lorien set it up against the table and turned it on, facing it towards Mara. One by one Mara began to look through the gifts, smiling and chuckling at the gifts the boys sent. “Jason you sent my kids anymore toys then I can’t buy them things for Christmas.”

“The CP’s told me that if you wanted you could hold onto these for their birthdays and Christmas.” Lou shrugged, letting Sol suck on his finger.

“I might have to do that.” She said, stuffing the gifts into their bags and looked at one that was from EJ and Ben. Opening it up she laughed. “Oh I remember playing this.”

“What is it?” Lou asked, sliding closer.

Mara held up a box game system with a single joystick and two buttons. “When I was a kid I used to own one of these. It has pac man, dig dug, rat trap, and so many other old games.”

She set the game back into the bag before tilting her head at a gift marked from Jeff. She picked it up and opened the box, shocked to see it was a toy butterfly knife and a toy switchblade. A note was on the bottom and she carefully took it out to read it. “Dear Mara, I hope it isn’t too early for this but I figured Fern could get a head start with blade training, love Jeff.”

“Huh no wonder he seemed nervous to give it to me.” Lou smirked. “He probably thought I’d say no.”

“Knives take a lot more coordination though, I want Fern to be ready with a gun before a knife. And she still does archery on the side lines.” Mara said as she set the box away.

“She’s such a goofy but awesome kid.” Lou nudged Mara. “we did great with these two.”

Mara smiled and pecked his cheek, looking down to see Sol falling asleep. “Come on, let’s go tuck him in.” 

The two got up and walked to the bedroom, letting Lou carry Sol so he could tuck him in. Setting Sol in his bed Mara flipped on a music box and Lou watched their son with love in his eyes. “I can’t wait to see him all grown up.”

“Please don’t wish for that. Let’s enjoy the time we got.” Mara whispered back.

Slowly Lou was able to pull himself away from the room with Mara and the two of them walked back to the couch. Once they sat down Lou cupped Mara’s cheek and examined her. “You’re not getting enough sleep?”

“I am. But I work all day and then watch these two all night.” Mara said, cupping her hands over his.

“I wish I could be around more.” Lou murmured and slowly brought their lips together.

Mara let out a small moan and moved closer, wrapping her arms around his neck. The two were so wrapped up in their kiss they both jolted away when they heard a squeal of excitement. “Papa!”

Lou and Mara looked over to Fern, who still had wet hair but was now in her purple nightgown and running over. Lou chuckled as he helped Fern onto his lap. “Hey little princess, you been taking care of your brother and mom?”

“Uh-huh! Mama said you’d be back soon and she was right!” Fern said as she giggled and nuzzled into her father’s arms.

“That’s because I’m always right~” Mara smirked and leaned over to kiss her daughters head. 

Lou chuckled and shushed them lightly. “Sol is asleep, let’s not wake him up.”

Fern’s attention was soon grabbed by the bags on the floor and she pointed to them. “What are those?”

“Gifts from your aunts, uncles, and grandpa.” Mara smiled. “But they’re birthday and Christmas presents.”

“Grandpa?! Mama can I please have a look please?” Fern tugged at Mara’s shirt.

Lou smirked and looked to Mara. “At least let her have one gift for the night. There’s plenty of gifts for the kids.”

Mara rolled her eyes at how easily Lou caved in for their kids. “Alright, one gift.”

Lorien squeaked as he pulled a small box out from the various bags and handed it to Mara. Mara looked at it and smiled seeing Slender’s handwriting and handed the box off to Fern. “remember to read the note.”

Fern nodded and opened it, taking the note out first and reading it shakily out loud. “Dear Fern, I hope you find this gift..um d-delightful, It took me a long time to plan it. This is called the Emerald of the past, take e-excellent care of it for me. Love, grandpa Slender.”

Mara’s body froze and eyes widened as Fern took out a necklace with the Emerald of the past as it’s pendant. “Mama, what is the Emerald of the past.”

Mara slowly relaxed and smiled. “Well the emerald shows you the past of the Creepypasta’s, before I even met your dad. But slender is right, you must be very careful with it so keep it in the house.”

“Ok! I’ll be right back!” Fern said as she ran off with the box, note, and necklace.

“Speaking of necklaces I got you something.” Lou said as he reached into his pocket.

“Meaning you stole it.” Mara smirked.

“Oh hush, just turn around and wait.” Lou said and Mara obeyed, turning around for him so she couldn’t see the gift.

As she waited, she felt something wrap around her neck and she looked down and gasped, It was a black pearl on a wedding ring on a silver band with small diamonds surrounding it. “Lou-”

She turned around Lou smiled and pecked her head. “I know you were complaining about how your male co-workers wouldn’t take the hit that you’re with someone. So I stole this from a shop in London. I also knew you hated wearing things on your fingers so I put a silver chain on it.”

“Lou, thank you I love it!” Mara hugged him and smiled. “You know me too well. I love you so much.”

Lou said nothing and embraced Mara, lightly kissing her head and neck. “I love you too.”

Fern came running back, holding up the pictures that she made for her dad and he gladly looked over them with Mara. Time rolled by before it finally was 10pm and Mara had looked to her daughter. “Ok princess it’s time for bed.”

“Aww! But I want to stay up with papa!” Fern whined, crawling onto Lou’s lap.

“No, go on time for bed.” Mara stubbornly repeated, getting her daughter to playfully stick her tongue out at her.

“Ok..papa will you be here tomorrow?” Fern asked as she looked up to her papa.

“Of course princess, I will be staying here until the next night.” Lou said. “Now go off to bed, if you get to bed I’ll come and tell you a story.”

“A creepypasta story?” Fern asked hopefully.

With a chuckle he set her on the ground and nodded. “Yes a creepypasta story. Now get going.”

Mara gave Lou a peck on the cheek as Fern ran off and she sighed. “It’s going to get tougher as they grow up..”

“I know they won’t do anything rash.” Lou said in comfort and pecked her lips before getting up. “I’ll meet you in a bit.”

Mara knew that was a sign of, reunion sex and she giggled, getting up as she moved to her room to get ready for the evening. Mara may not be able to see the CP’s other than Lou anymore, but nonetheless she was happy. And she had children to raise on the CP way, which meant her true tasks haven’t even begun. But she couldn’t help wonder why Slender gave her daughter the emerald. Maybe it was just to help teach her about the CP’s but maybe..it was something else.


End file.
